Hardened
by TheCandyChild
Summary: When Rin Kagamine's brother reappears after two years as mysteriously as he disappeared, Miku Hatsune's life begins to get a little crazier as she takes an interest in Rin's brother, Len. As she slowly unravels his perilous secrets, not only does she learn more about herself, but she also realizes little too late that some things are better off staying buried and forgotten. LenKu.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloid and the characters. All I own is the story! Hehe, thanks! Enjoy 3**_

 _-Rin-_

I took my headphones off and opened my bedroom door. It was my twin brother, Len. He grinned. "Hey, Rinny, I need to borrow some of your clothes." He said, marching in my room. I snorted, rolling my eyes.

"Jeez, you never would have struck me the type to crossdress!" I giggled. He rolled his cerulean blue eyes and pushed his bangs out of the way. His blonde hair, which was about roughly the same length as mine when it was down, was up in its usual ponytail.

"Yeah, well, I never thought I'd crossdress either. Lost a bet with freakin' Josh. He wants me to crossdress to see if I can actually look like a girl," He cringed. I rolled my eyes, but said nothing. I picked out an orange top, olive green sweatshirt, a black skirt, black knee-high socks, and black flats. I know, I have really bad fashion taste. I handed him the clothes, and gave him the shoes.

"There. Will that be all?" I asked. He thought for a moment.

"I need a white bow and about 4 bobby pins." He said. I opened my mouth, about to ask what he was going to do, but he cut me off. "Don't ask," He said. I took my white bow off of my head, and opened a drawer, and gave him the bow and 4 white bobby pins.

"There. Is that it now?" I asked, deciding to take his advice and not ask what the hell he was doing. Ignorance is bliss, after all. He nodded.

"Yeah, thanks." He said. He leaned forward and hugged me. "I love you, Rin." He said. His actions took me by surprise, but I hugged back. Since when did he get so affectionate? I was used to the playful punches and wrestling and stuff like that, not… _hugging_.

"Uh, I love you too. Why are you telling me this?" I asked as he pulled away. He shrugged.

"Cause I felt like it," He said, kissing my forehead. "Well, bye, baby sister!" He said, running out of the room and slamming the door. I rolled my eyes. Why was he acting so weird? Was he hiding something? And why did he want to borrow my clothes, along with the bow and bobby pins I usually wore? I sighed, and got ready for bed.

 _I'll just ask him tomorrow_ , I thought tiredly as I jumped in bed, pulling the covers up to my chin.

 _~2 years later~_

 _-Miku-_

"Hey, Rin?" I said, snapping my hand in front of her face. She was staring off into space, a sad expression on her face. She blinked.

"Oh, sorry, I was just...thinking." She said, smiling weakly. I frowned. This was probably the 5th time this week. I met her three months ago when I moved to town and we instantly hit it off. Already, we've had countless sleepovers and stayed up all night gossiping and stuff like that. Though I got the feeling that she wasn't telling me something very important, I never asked anymore. I used to at first, but I respected her decision to tell me or not; I didn't want to be that one person who pushed her to tell me every little secret she had.

She got up from her bed and stretched, then cracked her neck. I cringed.

"Ew…" I shuddered. "I don't know how people do that…" She grinned.

"That bothers you?" She mused. "I guess I'll have to remind myself to do that more often around you." I shuddered, my gaze drifting around the room.

I looked over at her mirror, which was nearly covered in photos of different places and celebrities, and noticed a picture buried under all of the other photos. All I could see was Rin laughing.

I got up and walked toward it, and lifted the photo that was nearly on top of it. I blinked. There were 2 pictures. The first one was of Rin holding a boy bridal style. His cheeks were stained scarlet, but his mouth was still stretched into a grin. His blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail, and his lovely blue eyes shone brightly.

The other picture was of the same boy trying to carry Rin. He had a look of determination and effort on his face, and in the picture, he was on his knee, only lifting Rin a few inches off the ground. Rin looked triumphant, with her arms crossed and a smug smirk taking place on her face. I wondered who he was. He looked a lot like Rin, but she didn't mention any family in this area. Her mother abandoned her when she was 14, and her father was dead. Other than them, I didn't hear about any other relatives.

"Hey, Rin," I said, turning around. Rin stopped stretching and looked at me. "Who's that guy in the picture?" I asked. She walked towards me, and glanced at the picture. She studied it for a minute, then her mouth stretched into a sad smile, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"That's..." She said, slowly. "That's my twin brother, Len." Her voice was quite now, which was very unlike her. I decided to push a little further, only this time more cautiously. _Maybe they're on bad terms_ , I thought. _No, but she doesn't look angry at all. Just sad. I wonder where he is now?_

"Twin, huh? Kinda figured that out. You two look a lot alike. Where is he now?" I asked. Rin leaned against the wall and ran her fingers through her chin-length blonde hair, her sky blue eyes looking down at the floor almost regretfully.

"I...he's...I dunno," She admitted, "he's been gone for two years. Missing." She said. My eyes widened.

"Oh…" I whispered. "I'm…I'm so sorry…" I weakly offered. Damn it. This was why I had little friends. A ghost of a smile played on her lips.

"It's fine, it's fine," She said, waving her hand in dismissal. "Let's not dwell on it; the mood's gone all gloomy and depressing now. Say, have you ever been to-" The was abruptly cut off by her ringtone. The pop-ish sounding music blared loudly (or, at least, it seemed loud in this quiet room) and Rin reached for the phone in her pocket before answering the call.

"Hello?" She said. She frowned. "Yeah, why." There was a pause, and all the color drained from her face. "W-Where? Okay. I'll be there in a few." She said, hanging up and stuffing the phone in her pocket. She fell onto her knees, relief on her face, and tears forming in her eyes.

"Rin? What happened?" I asked, kneeling down. She looked at me, grinning tearfully.

"They found him."


	2. Chapter 2

_-Miku-_  
"Y-You mean your brother?" I asked. Rin nodded, pale-faced.

"I...I thought he was dead...h-he's in Crypton hospital...I-I need to go there right away! You coming, Miku?" She asked, standing up, and getting her purse. She took her car keys out. I nodded.

"O-Okay, if you don't mind." I said. She nodded, and walked out of her room. I followed her, and she locked up the house, and we got in her cherry red Camaro.

It was quiet for the most part until I found the silence to be a tad uncomfortable; I always immediately became slightly nervous or uncomfortable when it became silent. There was literally no memory of me being grateful for silence as long as there was another person in the room with me. _Well, I suppose the only exception being going to sleep_.

"So, um, what's he like?" I asked. The question seemed appropriate, and it didn't look like they were on bad terms. The relief and happiness on Rin's face was genuine. But then again, whether or not they parted with an argument or something negative, it _was_ her sibling. Of course she'd feel happy, he'd been missing for two years after all. Rin smiled gently and glanced at me, then quickly redirected her gaze to the road in front of her.

"Sweet. Shy. Smart. Dorky. Too kind for his own good. Way too selfless for those he cares about. Real popular, too. And not the fuckboy kind of popular where he dated everyone. Lot of desperate people were crawling all over him. Fucking whores. But then again, he is pretty hot. Like me. Hm…what else…oh, yeah. He's pretty damn innocent for someone his age. Didn't even get half of the innuendos I made. I swear to God, that kid has the brains of a freaking snarky-ass college student but the purity of a 7 year old," She chuckled. She glanced at me once she came to a stop behind a white pick-up truck at a red light. Her lips were pulled into a small amused smile. "You know, he's real nervous around beautiful chicks, so don't be surprised when he starts to stutter and stumble over his words when talking to you." I felt my cheeks heat up at the comment.

"E-Eh?" I exclaimed. "N-No way I'm p-pretty!" Rin rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, hell yeah you are!" Rin said, slapping my back. "I see a shitload of guys staring at that ass when you walk. I mean if they were ever to make a move, I'd kill them, of course, but that's not the point." She smiled crookedly.

"W-What else?" I finally settled on, changing the subject. Rin thought for a moment, glancing at the light, muttering something like "Damn, this light ever gonna turn green?"

"Well, that boy was clumsy and tough as fuck, let me tell you. Once, he tripped down the stairs. Over nothing. Another time he accidentally set a table on fire. You know what he was making? A freakin' _cake_. To this day, I still don't know how he did it. Oh, yeah, once when we were about eight or nine years old, he broke his leg because he jumped off the roof-"

"Wait, _what_?" I asked.

"I think he was trying to fly or something, I dunno. He was a wacky kid. Anyway, so I go up to him and ask if he's okay. You know what that little sassy bastard did? He gave me blank look, like he was so done with my shit or something, and I kid you not, he literally said, 'Yeah, Rin, I just fell off of a two-story roof and I'm totally, _completely_ fine.' I swear to god, that kid- Oi!" She yelled, suddenly as she honked the horn of her car, making me jump. "Get the fuck moving, you slowass bastard! Jesus fucking Christ, some of us have places to be, you inconsiderate cunt!"

The car in front of us finally began to move and Rin grumbled something. I silently reminded myself not to tick Rin off while driving. "He seemed like a real character," I said after a moment of silence. Rin grinned.

"Oh, he was. Definitely."

~*~  
"You're Rin Kagamine, the sister of Len Kagamine, yes?" A doctor with long, wavy ebony hair and sparkling green eyes asked. Rin nodded.

"Y-Yes. Can I see him now?" She asked, anxiously. The nurse nodded.

"Yes. Come, follow me." She said. Rin and I stood up and followed the nurse.

"The way he was found was...strange," The nurse said, hesitantly. "A group of people were camping in the forest. They reported hearing loud cursing and yells. And, apparently, he fell out of the sky. There aren't any broken bones. Some of the tree branches could have broken his fall, or the height wasn't very high." She said. She stopped in front of a closed door.

"This is it. I assume you must want some time alone, so I'll allow you to go in without me." She said. Rin nodded, and the doctor walked away. Rin put her hand on the door handle. I noticed that she was trembling very lightly, and she was deathly pale.

"You okay?" I asked. She nodded and flashed me a reassuring smile.

"Y-Yeah." She said, taking a deep breath. She opened the door, and walked inside, slowly. Rin let out a little squeak. On the bed, there was a boy about Rin's age. He had chin-length, wild blonde hair, and lovely cerulean eyes that were clouded with thought. Well, the eye I could see was blue. His left eye was covered with his hair, blocking it from sight. He definitely had some muscle, but he wasn't completely ripped like those wrestlers. His arms were crossed and his pink lips were turned down in a frown. With the long, thick eyelashes and seemingly silky blonde hair, I'd say he looked a bit girlish if I didn't know any better, but something about him seemed…masculine? Mature? I didn't know, but he gave off an intimidating presence that made me take a small step back. He was staring out the window thoughtfully.

Rin inhaled sharply, her hands clenched into fists. The boy turned to look at her. His eye held coldness and determination, but when he saw Rin, there was a small glimmer of happiness. "Rin," He said, softly, his voice smooth and quiet, "it's been a while."

Rin sniffled. It was then I saw the tears streaming down her face. She ran towards the bed, and grabbed his shoulders and hugged him. "D-Dammit, Len! You look so god damn different and- and- you fucking scared me, you little asswipe!" She cried. When she ran towards him, he stiffened, as if he expected an attack. He looked unsure of what to do, like he hasn't had much experience with people hugging him.

He ended up awkwardly patting her back. She cried into his shoulder, and I stood in the back, taking it all in, not quite sure what to do. Just stand there? _Say something?_ I internally asked myself before shooting the idea down. _No, that sounded rude_. I settled with awkwardly looking around the room in the end. Rin let out a sob, and finally pulled away. She wiped her tears away with her sleeve, and Len gazed at me. He looked like he was evaluating something. "Who's she?" He asked.

"That's Miku, my friend. Well, probably one of my only friends. All of my other friends drifted apart from each other, until Miku transferred to Crypton high a few months ago." She explained. He nodded, slowly, the distrust in his eyes slowly dissolving.

"Ah, I see. I thank you for looking after her. I'm Len." He said. I nodded.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Len." I replied, softly, offering a small smile. Len blinked, then turned away. Rin stared at Len for a moment.

"Hey, Len..." She said, slowly, moving her hand to brush his bangs out of his face. He caught her wrist.

"I think it'd be best not to do that," He said, looking her in the eye. This boy didn't seem like the Len Rin had described to me. This didn't seem like the innocent, bashful, too-kind-for-his-own-good, king of sass she described earlier. When I looked in his eyes, he didn't look innocent at all. He looked like he saw terrible things- a look in his eye that only men returning home from a treacherous war had. A look that certainly didn't belong on a 16 year old. Rin frowned.

"But...your hair isn't up like it always is. And...I think I see something under your bangs. Can I look? Please?" She asked. Len sighed.

"Again, I'm not sure if you want to do that…" He trailed off, looking up at her. She gave him a questioning look.

"Why? Is there…something wrong with your eye?" He didn't reply. Her gaze on him unwavered. "I'll be fine. Whatever it is you're hiding from me. So let me see you're god damn eye, alright?" Len sighed, then apparently realizing the fruitlessness in arguing with a stubborn Rin, let go of her wrist.

"Alright, then..." He said warily. If I said that I wasn't curious as to why he wouldn't let her push his bangs away, I'd be lying. Maybe it was because he didn't want her to fuck up his hair. Maybe it was because he liked having his hair covering his eye like some emo person. Or maybe it was because there was something _wrong_ with his eye. She nodded, and brushed the bangs away from his face, and gasped, and so did I, for reasons even I didn't know. I was expecting ugly, marred flesh surrounding an empty eye socket, or even just a real nasty scar and messed up eye. But that wasn't even the case. On his left eye was a black, sinister-looking eye patch covering his eye. Perhaps I was shocked because I was actually right for something for once.

"Len...what did they do to you?"


	3. Chapter 3

_Italics =Flashback/thoughts  
_

 _ **-Rin-**_  
"Your eye...what happened to you…?" I mumbled, surprised at how much my twin brother had changed. I can tell some serious shit happened to him. It was the look in his eye, I suppose. A year ago, I would've seen happiness, curiosity, innocence, and child-like excitement in his eyes. But now...all I saw was coldness, pain, anger, and seriousness. I desperately wanted to know what happened to trigger this change, but at the same time I didn't. If that made any sense.

"Oh, that? I got a real nasty scar around that area. My vision's fine, but I'd prefer not to show the scar, so I'm hiding it with this eye patch." He said, shrugging. I frowned, squinting at him slightly.

"Okay..." I said, slowly. He was lying, I could tell. I could always tell when he was lying or hiding something, for some reason. It was like a twin-superpower thing. "What- What happened to you?" I whispered. Len frowned, something I still wasn't used to seeing on his usually cheerful face.

"I'd rather not tell you yet," He mumbled, turning to look out the window. What the hell was so fascinating with that damned window? I stared, a little hurt that he wouldn't tell me. I _was_ his twin, after all. But, then again, he was gone for two years. Terrible, unspeakable stuff could have happened to him. It could be a sensitive topic. I figured that I shouldn't push him just yet, and change the subject.

"When do you think you'll be out of the hospital?" I asked instead. He shrugged, then looked back at me.

"No idea. I don't even know _why_ I'm in the hospital. I don't have any life-threatening injuries." He said. I nodded, slowly. No life threatening injuries. That was good. I guess.

"Well, did they already run some tests?" Miku asked. I jumped. I nearly forgot that she was there. Len shifted his gaze towards her, looking a little bemused, his head tilted slightly to the left, as if she were a puzzle that he couldn't figure out. I raised my eyebrows slowly as I watched the two study each other, with Mika staring back at him, her gaze slightly curious.

"Yes," He said, finally. "They did. X-rays, stuff like that. Nothing too bad. The worst there is a bruised rib. " Miku winced, and I looked back at him with wide eyes. How could he say that so nonchalantly? I supposed that at this point, I shouldn't even be surprised. This was the boy who managed to sass me with a nearly straight face when he broke his leg as a child, yet I still found my eyes widening in shock.

"Bruised rib?" I hissed. "That's-"

"Not as bad as it sounds," He cut off. "It doesn't even hurt that much, really." I flinched, wondering how on Earth he could've gotten a bruised rib. From the fall, perhaps? No, but he fell on his back, not his chest. A horrific thought came into my mind as I contemplated how he could've gotten such an injury.

Did they, whoever they were, hurt him? The thought terrified me, and the image of Len being tortured invaded my mind. I pushed the horrible image aside. We talked for a few hours, Miku occasionally having a brief conversations with Len. I noticed that he wasn't at all as cheerful and silly and dorky as he used to be, although he was still as sassy as ever and seemed a bit uneasy around Miku. I wondered if it was because he was still nervous around hot girls or because of something else.

"Hey, where's mom?" Len asked, suddenly. My heart sank as I recalled the last time I saw her.

 **~*~**  
 _I yawned and walked downstairs, hoping to get some breakfast. I paused when I saw luggage near the door, and my mother fumbling for something in her purse. I paused. "Mom...?" I said, groggily, as I rubbed my eyes. She froze, then turned to me, pale-faced._

 _"Rin," She said in a harsh whisper, "You aren't supposed to be up yet!" I frowned and hopped down the steps of the stairs, and walked towards her._

 _"What do you mean? Are you going somewhere?" I asked. She sighed, and ran her hand through her light blonde hair. She looked like she didn't get much sleep. Dark bags hung under her ocean blue eyes and her hair looked messy, flat, and tangled. Her eyes were red and puffy, probably from crying. It's been about 5 months since my twin brother, Len, disappeared. My mom has been...grieving… for a while now. Going to the bar late at night and not coming home until the afternoon, partying, and, of course, drinking large quantities of alcohol._

 _"I can't do this anymore," She choked, sounding like she was about to sob, "I can't live without my little Lenny!" I frowned, and began walking towards her, getting a bad vibe from this. She was real torn up about Len disappearing without a trace, more than she should be. She wasn't completely alone, after all._

 _"I know, mom. I miss him too, but we'll have to pull through together-"_

 _"I don't_ want _to pull through!" She snapped. "I don't wanna live without him!" I sighed, tiredly. After constant tossing and turning, I managed to finally get some shut eye at 3 a.m. Not exactly what you'd call good night's sleep._

 _"Len wouldn't want-"_

 _"How the hell would you know what he wanted?!" She growled. "Jesus, you're probably the reason of why he left!" I flinched, wide-eyed, the words stinging unexpectedly. Whenever I got in an argument, which was quite often, as I loved to make people annoyed or angry, I would say "If what you say isn't true, it has no affect." So why did her words hurt? Len's disappearance couldn't be my fault, that was preposterous…right?_

 _"W-What..?" I said dumbly. She snorted and rolled her eyes. It was then that I noticed her beer bottle on the counter. She was drunk. Of course. So she couldn't have meant those things. But then again, they say that people are most truthful when drunk._

 _"You were always so annoying and selfish, always bothering him and making him do your bidding or some other shit, and even if he didn't want to, he'd do it anyways!" She continued. "He loved you and did anything to protect you! You were the most important thing to him! You!" She screeched, throwing her hands out and tipping over the bottle of beer on the counter, making the contents spill out onto the counter and floor. Tears stung my eyes, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. Calm down, Rin, calm the fuck down. It's the beer talking. It's the beer talking, it's the beer talking, it's the beer talking. No matter how many times I told myself this, I knew that it wasn't the alcohol that made her say this. This was her, my mother, saying these horrible things. It was how she genuinely felt._

 _"Y-You've always favored him, haven't you?" I asked, afraid of the answer. She just scowled and scoffed._

 _"You're quick," She said sarcastically. "Len was like the perfect child. All I wanted was a boy, but I got you, too. If it weren't for Yohio's big heart, I would've set you up for adoption." She growled. I clenched my jaw as she picked up her bags, my hands curling into fists, my nails digging into my palm painfully._

 _"I'm leaving, and never coming back. Someone's gotta look for Len," She announced. "There's about two thousand dollars I left behind, only because I don't want to get arrested for your death, you spoiled brat. What are you, a dumbass? I can't believe that you never knew that Len was better than you," She spat, "Good riddance."_

 _"Wait," I said. She turned to look at me, an ugly scowl evident on her face._

 _"What?" She growled. I looked up at her, the tears I was holding in my eyes breaking free and streaming down my face. I brought up both of my hands and flipped her the bird. I laughed brokenly._

 _"Fuck you," I whispered, then louder, "Fuck you! I hope you get drunk and fall in a ditch and break every goddamn bone in your fatass body, you old fucking hag! Fuck. You!" She shot me a withering glare as she opened the door._

 _"Good riddance, bitch," She spat, venom evident in her voice. With that, she walked out and slammed the door shut and there I was, all alone in a house that was far too big for one lonely teenager to reside in. For a moment, I paused, finding this hard to take in. Perhaps it was all just a dream. I mean, no way in hell this could be happening._

 _But no. I knew this wasn't a dream. The feeling of wanting to vomit was too real, the smell of alcohol from the tipped over bottle was too real, the feeling of tears streaming down my face was too real, the pain was too real. My knees shook and I found it hard to stand up, so I pulled a chair out from a nearby table and sat down. I was trembling all over as the tears I shed dropped onto my lap. I put my hand up to my eyes to try and stop the flow as I bit my cheek to stop from crying out._

 _I was on my own with money that would only last about two months. Or so I estimated. And all because my mother picked a favorite child, and it wasn't me._

 _I always knew, somewhere deep, deep inside, that Len was favored. He would always get the biggest piece of the cake, and I the smaller; My mom would always help him with his homework and left me to figure it out on my own; she never punished him for accidentally breaking something or getting a bad grade on a test, but I would get grounded._

 _I suppose she was right. Len was better than me at anything, except for sports. Grades, popularity, intelligence. I was nothing but a worthless, worthless, teenager._

 ** _~*~_**  
"She left," I said, quietly. Len frowned.

"Oh, I see," He said. "I, er...deeply apologize?" I smiled weakly.

"Nah, it's alright," I said, looking at the clock. I gasped. "Holy shit! It's almost 9:00!" I said. I got up, immediately, putting my coat on.

"Ah, so sorry, but it's late, and I need to go." I said. I looked over at Miku. "You still staying at my place for the night?" I asked. She nodded.

"Y-Yeah, if it's alright with you." She said. I nodded, flashing her a smile.

"Great! Well, cya tomorrow Len! I'll be sure to visit!" He nodded.

"Bye." He said, quietly. Usually, when Len was in the hospital, which he somehow wound up into sometimes, he would say, "Bye, Orange-chan! Love you!" Or something like that. I wondered what happened to my clever, brave, and happy twin brother within the years.

* * *

"I'm pulling over." I said, pulling my car over to the curb. There was the sound of a child crying in a alleyway. Now, I've seen enough horror movies to know where this was going, and under normal circumstances, I would've said, "Fuck this shit, I'm not gonna die tonight." But this sounded like a little kid, somewhere around five or six. I looked at Miku, who was in the passenger's seat.

"You coming with me to see who's makin' that sound or not?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I'll go with you," She said. I nodded, and we both got out of the car, and cautiously headed into the alleyway. _This is such a dumbass move_ , I thought somewhat frightfully, _God, the things I do when it comes to children_. It was dim, but at the very end, I could make out the small figure of a child crying, curled up against the wall in a corner. Her red hair covered her face, and she let out a small sobs. She looked familiar. I knelt down next to her.

"Hey," I said softly, "Are you lost?" She looked up, her dark blue eyes holding tears. My eyes widened as I realized that was my cousin.

"R-Ritsu?" I asked. "What are you doing here? Where's your mom?" She sniffled.

"C-Cousin Rin," She whimpered, wiping her wide eyes. "A-A scary man was chasing me…I- I think he was looking for co-cousin Len. I- I wan-wanna go ho-home!" She sobbed. Miku frowned.

"The scary man was looking for Len?" She asked softly. Ritsu looked up at her with wide, puffy eyes and nodded. "Well, let's take you home; can you tell us about it in the car?" She asked softly. Ritsu nodded.

"Y-Ye-" Ritsu started, but she immediately cut herself off as she focused her fearful blue eyes toward me. Or…not toward me…but _behind_ me. Little too late, I realized this and spun around just as someone grabbed me and slammed me against the wall as Ritsu let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Miku! Run!" I yelled. The tealette turned and looked at me with wide, terrified eyes.

"Rin-" She started as she scrambled up. Another man grabbed her arm and pinned her against the wall on the opposite side of me. She let out a screech and the man, who was probably in his mid 30's with slicked back chestnut brown hair and menacing black eyes and piggish features.

"Don't let out a peep, and I won't need to hurt that pretty little face of yours," He cooed. Miku whimpered, and Ritsu silently sobbed while the man studied me, silently. He grinned toothily.

"Hm, I see the resemblance, I do, I do. I can see how that sly ole' bastard tricked us now," He chuckled. He was probably in his early 40's with greasy, long black hair and tan skin with baby blue eyes. He stared at me intently, calculating, and I felt raw, cold fear blossom in my chest.

"Y'know how I got this here scar?" He asked, pointing to a scar that went from the bottom of his left eye to the right corner of his mouth. "It was yer brother, the Devil's Dog we all called him. Heh, he was sure one hell of a fighter all right. When he escaped, nearly everyone who got in his way and tried to restrain him were very... _unfortunate_ , let's say. He took a dearly loved one away from me. So, I'm simply repaying the favor," He said, casually, the tiniest hint of fury in his eyes. I knit my eyebrows in confusion.

What the hell could that mean? Escaped? Was he _kidnapped_? Christ, what _happened_ to him? The Len I knew couldn't hurt a fly, much less _injure_ someone. But, then again, he might not be the Len that I knew, could he? The man took out a knife, which glinted maliciously in the moonlight.

He raised it, and my eyes widened. _No, no, no oh my God this is really happening,_ I frantically thought. I didn't want to die. I knew that death is inevitable and that everyone died one day, but it was what came after it that terrified me. Was there a really an afterlife? Do we get reincarnated? Or is just an eternity of blank nothingness? Not knowing terrified me. I tried to scream, but his hand was covering my mouth. I felt tears leak from my eyes. He had a cold, satisfied evil glint in his eye as he got into a position that would be appropriate for stabbing someone. He grinned sadistically, as if enjoying seeing the fear in my eyes and actions, and said as the knife came speeding toward my chest,

"Goodbye, Ms. Kagamine."


	4. Chapter 4

**Rin**  
I let out a muffled scream as the knife went speeding towards my chest. Only, it never came. I opened my eyes a crack to find another person's hand firmly grabbing onto my attackers wrist. My attacker turned pale. "My, it's been a while since I last saw you, Jacob." A familiar voice said coolly. 'Jacob' dropped the knife and turned around, looking at...Len?

He gulped. "Well, if it ain't the legend in person. You know you three idiots did a lot of damage back there?" He said, plastering a sneer onto his face. Len just shrugged.

"Oh? I never noticed," Len said sarcastically. I blinked and looked at Len; the hell was he talking about? Damage? Three idiots? I knew that Len was an idiot, but he was with two others on whatever they did? "Might I ask, what are you doing to my sister and Ms. Hatsune?" Jacob snickered nervously.

"Just havin' a little fun, y'know?" He said. His eyes flicked to the blonde man who was getting a gun out. My eyes widened, and I glanced at Len with frantic eyes, struggling to break free. Miku also struggled to get lose with no progress. I bit the man's hand so hard that I tasted the metallic tang of blood. He cursed and withdrew his hand immediately.

"Len! Behind you he has a gu-" I was cut off by the sound of a gunshot, and to my horror, I realized that the man who held the gun had already fired a short directed toward Len. I felt my heart sink as I processed this. However, what I thought would happen didn't.

Instead, Len just sidestepped, thankfully not getting shot, and set his steely gaze on the man who fired the gun. The guy's eyes widened and the gun shook in his hand before the man just seemingly dropped it, although his shocked and horrified expression said otherwise. "I-It..." He whimpered before he looked at Len with fearful eyes.

"Y-You..." He started again before trailing off.

"I what?" Len asked, raising his eyebrows. The man holding me smirked.

"Aye, how's the Gumi of yours doing? Is she here? Or did you just escape without her and leave her to rot back in Blackport?" He sneered. Len froze, then his eyes turned from bored and slightly annoyed to menacing and full of rage. He turned fully toward the man and a look so dark and angered was present on his face that it even made me scared.

"You're very lucky that we have an audience here, so be grateful." Len growled. "But as long as we're dealing with low blows here, I wonder how Austin's doing? Last I saw him, he didn't really get my point all the way through." I blinked. Was that a joke or something? The man didn't think it was funny. He growled and let go of me suddenly, shoving me away, eyes full of bloodlust.

"You brat!" He roared as he tried to stab Len's shoulder. Len just simply dodged it, as if it were nothing. The man growled and threw a punch towards Len, who was still nonchalantly staring at him. He ducked and took the opportunity to punch Jacob in the gut. Jacob let out a small gasp, and Len also took that opportunity to take Jacob's face and slam it into his knee before throwing him harshly off to the side. The blonde man holding Miku stared at Len with wide eyes, filled with both anger and fear.

Blondie let out a yell and charged towards Len and tried stabbing him with the dagger he held. Len stepped back each time Blondie swung, which seemed to infuriate him more. He let out a yell. Len sighed boredly as he ducked yet another swipe.

"Damn it, you idiots don't know when to quit do you?" He said. "I'm pretty damn tired and I just wanna go home, so can you guys, like, fuck off and retreat to the pit where you crawled out of? I'm not really in a fighting mood today." I held Ritsu close as I wrapped my arm around a trembling Miku. Was Len trying to negotiate with people who are trying to kill him? I watched as Len was a little too slow in dodging the knife and ended up getting cut on his left arm.

"No can do, you hellhound," Blondie growled, a sick grin growing on his face. "See, we have-"

"Shut the hell up, you idiot!" Jacob yelled. "Don't leak information and put that damned knife away! We need him alive!" Blondie averted his eyes to Jacob and stopped swiping his knife at Len for a split second. Big mistake. Len punched Blondie square in the jaw then took advantage of his hesitation to get behind him and kick him toward Jacob, sending him flying into his comrade, or...whatever the hell he was to him as Jacob let out a frustrated yell right before Blondie's body collided with his.

"Len, what do they-"

"I dunno, Rin, they're lunatics, okay? Wait, why the fuck are you still-"

"He's getting back up!" I interrupted, and Len turned where Jacob was currently standing now, a dark look on his face.

"I've just about had it with you-"

"Yeah, so have I. I'm, like, two hundred percent done with this nonsense so why don't we just call it a night and go eat pancakes or some shit?"

"-so I won't be holding back anymore." Len smirked and cracked his knuckles.

"Neither will I. This fight was getting a bit tedious anyways." Len gave me an annoyed side look. "What the hell are you still doing here? Take Miku and Ritsu and hightail outta here!" He said as Jacob, who was in a crouching position, suddenly took off swiftly, jumping towards Len, his arms outstretched. Len grabbed his arms and threw him into the wall, but he just rotated around so his feet were facing the wall and leaped off of it once they made contact. Len jumped out of the way right in the last second. The outstretched his arms toward the floor. Once his hands made contact with it, he flipped back onto his feet.

Almost as if the landing didn't affect him at all, he sprang towards Len yet again, throwing in a few swift punches, all of which Len managed to either block or dodge. Len tried to punch Jacob in the jaw, but he deflected the blow. He tried to kick him in the head as well, but Jacob ducked just in time and managed to punch Len in the gut. I let out a gasp and Len risked a glance towards me and shot me a withering glare.

"Go. Now!" He barked, all playfulness and sass from earlier completely eradicated and replaced with seriousness and desperation.

"No! I-I can't leave you here!" I yelled back, wiping away my tears, clinging to a terrified and horrified Miku. Len shot me a look.

"I'll be fine, you hear?" He yelled. "Just go before you get hurt!" Jacob took advantage of his distraction and struck him in the face. He didn't even give Len time to react before punching him once again. Len deflected the next blow and Jacob instead tried to sweep Len's feet out from under him. Len fell back and his arms darted out behind him to stop the fall, and with his legs, took hold of Jacob's head and threw him over to the opposite side. Jacob, yet again, landed gracefully as Len got back on his feet. Jacob smirked.

"Not bad, kid."

"Same to you, old man." He replied as he got back into a fighting stance. Jacob's face broke out in a grin.

"This is truly an exciting fight. The thrill of the risk of being defeated, the exhilaration of being on the brink of collapse and the adrenaline running through your veins and the fear of failure is quite exciting, is it not, Devil's Dog? I know you feel it too, hellhound. Dare I say it, but could it be that you've missed fights like these?" Len smirked.

"I'd be lying if I said this wasn't exciting, you old geezer. But you're wrong about one thing," He paused and gave Jacob a hard stare. "I didn't miss this, not one bit. So enough of the chit-chat; lets end this already." Jacob sneered.

"If you say so," He merely said before rushing toward Len once again. Len ducked a punch that Jacob threw at him and decided to punch him the gut. He drew back and threw a successful right hook punch to Jacob, making him stumble back a little before regaining his posture. Len jumped up and swung his foot toward Jacob's jaw, successfully kicking him and knocking him to the ground. He sprang back up again, blood leaking out from the corners of his mouth, and he growled and took off at Len again. He charged at him with a yell and threw a punch at him, which he deflected, and immediately threw another one, this time successful. Jacob took out a knife and threw it at Len's throat, and Len sidestepped. However, Jacob got another one out and right after he dodged the one the came at his throat, he threw one at his right shoulder, which successfully stabbed him.

I gasped as I pressed my hands a little tighter to Ritsu's eyes to make sure that she couldn't see Len pulling it out of his shoulder. I wanted to scream. I wanted to shout, to yell, but no sound came out. Len glared.

"Whatever happened to 'keep him alive'?" He asked. Jacob smirked.

"I know you all to well-"

"Bitch please, you don't know me at all."

"-so I knew that you would easily dodge that first little knife trick, but wouldn't be able to if a second one came your way so quickly." Jacob stepped back and kicked at Len's face, but he dodged. Jacob leaped forward and punched at Len's face, his fists not hitting his target. While Len was occupied with deflecting the blows, Jacob used that to his advantage and kicked him in the side so hard it sent him tumbling to the floor. Len quickly recovered, getting up quickly and grabbing Jacob by the hair and bashing his face in his knee, not once, not twice, but three times. He threw him back to the wall, where he let out an anguished yell as Blondie began to rise. Blood was trickling down the side of his head.

"H-He broke my damn nose, that freak!" Jacob wailed. Blondie growled.

"I'll take this son of a bitch out!" He pulled out a gun, aimed it at Len, and pulled the trigger. I watched, wide-eyed, as Len simply did a back handspring to the right, dodging the bullet. The Len I knew couldn't even do a cartwheel. Another shot was fired, and Len once again dodged it.

"You fucking dumbass!" Jacob screeched. "Don't fucking kill him!" Len gave the two a seemingly bored glance, although he was panting slightly.

"So what's it gonna be?" Len asked, giving them a dark glare. "Retreat? Or stay and fight?" Blondie glared right back at him.

"Like hell we'll retreat-"

Len pulled out a knife from his pocket, and with lightning-quick speed, threw it towards the man. It cartwheeled through the air and buried itself in Blondie's shoulder. He howled in pain. Len took a step forward, and he scrambled away, pulling Jacob up. "W-We gotta go! He's gonna kill us!" He yelled as they began to run. They disappeared around the corner, and Len dusted his coat off.

"Tch. Filthy scum," He muttered, frowning. He turned his gaze toward me, which turned hard and angry, and I took my hands off of Ritsu's eyes. I didn't want her to see such a violent fight. My head was swimming with questions that I wanted to ask Len, but as I opened my mouth to do so, he interrupted me.

"What the hell?" He yelled. "I told you to run, Rin! Don't you understand what that means?" I flinched.  
"I-I couldn't just leave-"

"You've could've gotten yourself killed!" He roared. "I would've been fine!" He took a look at my horrified face, and sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Just don't do it again, alright? I can handle myself." He grumbled. Ritsu hiccupped and snuggled into Miku, who was clinging to me as she trembled and let out shaky breaths while counting numbers under her breath, probably to calm herself down. Len looked down at her, his eyes softening drastically. He bent down to her height.

"Hey, little girl," He said softly, "are you hurt anywhere?" She shook her head frantically. She sniffed.

"Y-You are c-cousin Rin's brother?" She asked, shyly. He nodded.

"Yeah, I am. My name's Len, what's yours?"

"Ri-Ritsu." She said. Len looked shocked.

"Ritsu Namine?" He asked. She nodded. Len smiled and wiped her tears away with his thumb.

"My, you've grown quite a bit since I've last seen you." He chuckled. He looked up at Miku. He probably noticed that she looked horrified and seemed to find the right words to say to her.

"Um. So you're okay, right?" He asked awkwardly. She nodded slowly.

"M-Mmhm," She managed, flashing him a scared-looking smile. "Other than nearly having a heart attack about 50 times, I'm t-totally...fine..."

"So how did you know those gu-guys? Why were they after you?" I croaked. He blinked.

"They confronted me earlier in the hospital. They said..." He paused. "...They said that...well the guy had a nametag that said 'Jacob' so...but anyway, they're probably just a couple of crackheads, y'know?"

"But-"

"Ask me later, in the car or something," He grumbled. "Did you drive or something? We gotta get Ritsu home." Miku nodded.

"Y-Yeah, we did." I said. "But...I don't know where Mrs. Namine lives anymore, since they just moved. Maybe we can take her back to the house and call them. I still have their number." I said. Miku finally snapped out of her trance.

"Y-Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. We should get back to the car." She said. Len nodded, and stood up. Ritsu also stood up and practically threw herself on him, grabbing on to his hand. She blushed and looked down.

"S-Sorry," She said. Len smiled.

"It's alright," He said. He sounded so...gentle. I've never heard him sounding this gentle, not even before he disappeared. I picked my keys up from the ground with my trembling fingers and made my way out of the alley that I almost got killed in.

* * *

"So, um, Len-"

"No."

"What? But you said to ask you in the car-"

"When I say 'ask me later' that means never."

"But how did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Fight like that."

"Well my brain commands my arms and legs to move, you see, and-"

"Ugh. Shut up, smartass, and just tell her."

"Rin! That's rude!"

"As if I give a flying-"

"How can I shut up and tell her at the same time?"

"Fair point."

"Mhm."

"Oh my God, Rin. Stop breathing down my neck and fuck off."

"Screw you."

"Isn't that incest?"

"Oh my fucking god- I'm just gonna go take a nap."

"Good."

Silence.

"At least tell me who those other 'idiots' that guy-"

"I told you that they're just a couple of crazy crackheads. I have no idea what they were talking about."

"But-"

"Drop it."

"-they didn't seem like crackheads, and that one guy also had crazy moves like you."

"I told you to drop it."

"But Len-"

"Miku. Please."

"...Fine."

It was quiet yet again before the blonde haired boy spoke to the teal-haired girl quietly.

"Thank you."

* * *

"So, um. Thanks for saving us." Miku mumbled. "Crazy awesome moves back there, too." He nodded, awkwardly.

"Yeah, don't mention it," He said. "Um, you're hair's...nice...?" He said, stiffly. Miku self-consciously touched her hair.

"Er, thanks?" She offered. Len shifted, looking a bit uncomfortable as he looked another direction.

"Yeah...well, I'll be...over there..." He said, walking off and disappearing around the corner. I snickered.

"Jeez, looks like he lost his way with women. I remember he was such a charmer last year," I snorted. Funny thing was, though, that he wasn't even trying to flirt with girls. Well, at least, he wasn't trying to get in their panties. It was more like he was flattering them in a strictly friendly kind of way. I glanced at Ritsu, who was sleeping on the couch. I put a blanket over her, wondering why someone would ever chase her, and why she was even out without her parents.

"Really?" Miku asked. I nodded, grinning.

"Oh, yeah! He'd always get love letters in his lockers and the girls were all over him. He wasn't a playboy, fortunately. He never went out with someone, well, at least I don't think he ever did." I said, shrugging. Miku opened her mouth to say something, but the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it. It must be Mrs. Namine." I said, answering the door. "Ah, Ritsu's on the couch sleeping. It's so good to see you, Aunt-" I looked up and froze. There was a woman there, in her mid 50's or so, with graying blonde hair tied up in a bun and anxious ocean blue eyes. She smiled nervously. She had my ocean blue eyes. She also had Len's nervous smile and charm. I stared at the woman.

"M-Mom?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Rin**  
"W-What are you doing here?" I asked. There was a small flutter of hope in my chest that she came back to see me. To check if I was okay. Her eyes flickered past me and I realized then how pathetic my hopes were.

"Well...I heard that Len was found, so I..." Instantly, my eyes hardened and my hope vanished. I should have known that she only came back to see Len. I gripped the door knob, my other hand curled into a fist, my nails digging into my palm, probably making crescent-like marks. "I'm um…sorry, please forgive me. If I can come in and see him..." I flinched as she just came in.

"W-Who the hell invited you in here?" I snapped as she sat down on the couch next to Miku. Miku shifted uncomfortably. My mother just shot me a cold glare.

"I was the one who bought this house years ago, was I not? I was the one that raised the two of you under this roof. This is technically _my_ house, not _yours."_ She retorted. I growled, feeling anger blossom in my chest. This bitch! She thinks that she can just abandon me with only two thousand dollars and come back and expect to be treated with _respect_? What delusions has she been thinking up?

"But when you abandoned me, it became _mine._ I was the one taking care of it for two years while you _ran away!_ If you really did favor Len, then why didn't you actually stick around and try to find out! You're...you're nothing more than a coward! Get the fuck out of my house!" I yelled, venom lacing my voice as I glared at her with hateful eyes. She glared back, standing up.

"Do _not_ talk to me like that, girl!" She snarled, raising her hand. I stared up at her and felt a small tremor of fear. It wasn't because I was afraid of getting hit. It was because I was afraid that I would let all of my pent up hurt and anger out on her, and I might not be able to stop and go too far. But the familiar sting, accompanied by the sound of flesh hitting flesh, didn't come. I looked up to find Len standing in front of me, his hand firmly gripping my mother's wrist. He was still in the same shirt, so I assumed that he may not have cleaned the wound yet. There was a look of pure and utter shock on her face as Len let go.

"Please refrain from doing any _more_ damage to my sister." He said coldly. My mother gasped.

"L-Len, is that you?" She asked. He nodded curtly, and she cupped his cheek with her hand, tears filling her eyes. He didn't react. "My...you've certainly grown since the last time I saw you...what happened to your eye?" She asked, sniffing.

"I'd rather not discuss it," He said. "Why'd you leave Rin all alone?" She stiffened.

"W-Well...y-you see...um..." She stammered. Len just stared down at her. "I...needed to blow off some steam. Besides, I couldn't...I couldn't-"

"You couldn't stand being with me?" I said, bitterly. "You did, after all, want to put me up for adoption." She shot me a glare, and I flinched. I really didn't want to feel my mother's wrath.

"I did, and I would have, if it weren't for your father," She spat. I winced, and Len seemed to take another step to the side, further shielding me from our mother.

"Did you _really_ just fucking say that?" She flinched.

 _"_ Well, I'm just being…truthful."

"I can't believe you'd ever say that to your child," He replied, disgust creeping into his voice. "A mother's duty is to protect and love her offspring, not say horrible things like that. That makes me wonder if the displays of affection you showered us with when we were younger, was that fake? Was any of it real?"

"Of course it was-"

"So then why did you try and set Rin up for adoption?"

"That…we were running low on money. Keeping another child would be hard, and besides, why would I want another child when I had you?" She said this last bit softly, and I flinched. Was I really that unappealing, even when I was just a baby? Len didn't seem amused by this at all.

"That's hella messed up," Miku piped in, arms crossed. "Did you seriously determine who you like better when they were just infants?" My mother just crossed her arms and sighed.

"We…needed someone who can carry out the Kagamine name." She just said simply, and I felt my blood boil. They liked Len better just because of his gender and ability to keep his last name when married?

"Well fuck you and your fucking stupid-ass reasoning! You think that you can just barge back in here and take control of everything all because Len's back? Well, god damn, you're even more delusional than I thought, you old hag!" I growled, raising my voice. "Get out."

 _"Excuse_ me _?"_

 _"You deaf?" Len snorted. "Out."_

 _"But-"_

"You heard her," Miku said, finally standing up, a bit of anger in her eyes, "get out." My mother just gawked.

"Excuse me, young lady, but this is _my_ house-"

"Jesus fucking Christ, I thought we went over this shit, like, five minutes ago," Len grumbled. "You abandoned Rin and left this house in her possession, so therefore, it is her house and not yours, so go away. Shoo. Scram." My mother opened her mouth to speak but Miku cut her off immediately.

"Hoe, don't do it," She warned. "We can call the police to take you outta here." My mother turned to glare at Miku.

"I don't remember you ever hanging out with Rin, girl."

"Yeah, that's because I just moved here, so. You gonna leave or what?"

"Fine, you whore," She spat, and Len stiffened. He turned to glare at her.

"Don't speak to her like that," He growled, tensing. My mother tensed up as well, shock evident in her eyes. "Just go, Riliane." Riliane was my mother's name. I was slightly shocked that he called her by her first name, but then again, I did call her an old hag earlier.

 _"Well._ " She said, opening the door. "Since I'm not wanted-"

"You don't say!" Len snorted.

"-I'll just be on my way!" She huffed.

"You go do that." Len said. She didn't reply. She slammed the door shut behind her and marched off somewhere. Probably back to hell. Oh well.

"What a bitch," Miku mumbled.

"Yeah," I agreed weakly. "Um, thanks, guys."

"No problem," They said in unison. They both gave each other weird looks, and I felt the corners of my mouth twitch upward. It may have been too early to tell, but I felt like they'd get along somewhat.

"So you haven't checked your wounds yet?" Miku asked Len. He shook his head.

"Nope. All I gotta do is wrap it in gauze or something right?" Miku winced.

"Oh, God. No. You'll get an infection, probably, if not properly cleaned. Does that mean that you're still bleeding? Does it hurt?" Len shrugged.

"Well, yeah, it hurts like a bitch. But I'll live. I don't think I'm bleeding that much right now. Why?"

"Because if it's really bad we'd have to take you to the hospi-"

"No."

"But why? Would you rather have an infected stab wound rather than going to the hospital to stabilize it?"

"I just broke outta that place!" He complained. "Besides, I don't think it's that bad. Just gotta pour water on it and it'll be fine." Miku facepalmed.

"No, that's…" She sighed and stood up. "Whatever. You obviously have no idea how to properly clean wounds and stuff like that, so I'll do it for you. C'mon." I watched, slightly amused, as they both shuffled upstairs.

 _Those two'll get along just fine,_ I mused.

 **So, not the best chapter, I know. Not a lot of LenKu either, but don't worry, next chapter will be all about Miku cleaning Len's wounds and...talking...sigh. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless, comments are greatly appreciated . See you guys soon.**


	6. Chapter 6

******Miku**  
"Hey, Len?" I mumbled. He didn't even look at me; he was busy looking around his room. The only sign of acknowledgement he gave was a small "Hm?"

"How did you get out of the hospital? And didn't you have a bruised rib?" He looked at me this time, his blue eye studying me intently.

"I snuck out. It was surprisingly easy," He said, nonchalantly. "As for the bruised rib, well...I'm fine." He shrugged. I pursed my lips, not buying a word he said. After a silent debate with myself, I finally decided to let him win. For now.

"Fine." I muttered.

"Do you even have any idea _how_ to patch up a wound? Properly, I mean?" I sniffed.

"Yes! My parents are doctors. Stay here. I'll get the medical kit." I instructed as I turned and walked down the hallway. I found my way to the bathroom and opened up one of the cabinets, and pulling out the medical kit. I opened it and checked to see if everything needed to clean the wounds; they weren't bleeding gallons, so I figured that it wasn't fatal or anything, but still needed attention before it gets infected. I checked for gauze and antibiotics, which they had. I took a cup and small rag, then filled the cup with warm water. Taking the stuff that I needed, I walked back to Len's room, my arms full with the supplies. When I came back, Len was still sitting in the same spot, gazing out the window, a small frown settled onto his face, his expression thoughtful, as if he were thinking deeply about something. I got the impression that he didn't notice my presence, so I cleared my throat. He turned his head slightly towards me as I shuffled into the room and plopped down on the bed next to him.

"So..." He drawled, "what now?" I pursed my lips, then glanced at his shoulder, then left arm. That's where he was injured. Both injuries were near the shoulder. It seemed that, in order to clean it, he had to...

My cheeks flushed as I uttered the next words. You know those types of girls in cheesy romantic novels where they blush at everything a guy says or does? I'm one of those girls, only I blush at anything and everything. "Take off your shirt." They were barely audible, for I was too embarrassed to say them any louder. There was a pause, then he grasped the ends of his shirt and slipped it over his head. There was a thick, awkward, uncomfortable air between us as I looked away, my face most likely as red as a tomato. I grabbed the rag and dipped it into the warm water, then wrung some of the unnecessary water before turning back to him. I nearly froze when I looked at him.

It wasn't because of his toned and muscular chest and stomach. It was because of the scars that littered his chest and stomach. Most were slashes, as if someone had taken a knife and sliced it across his skin. One scar near his right side looked suspiciously similar to that of being impaled with something like a metal rod. Right under his left collarbone was a burn mark. It took the shape of a dragon with horns and what looked like a mane, only showing from the neck up, in a circle, its' claws in a position that looked like it was ready to fight. Flames made up the circle, and even made up the dragon's mane. I put my hand over my mouth.

"Oh...my God," I whispered. I looked up at him. "What... _happened?_ Who _did_ this to you?" He stared down at me, his gaze calculating and hardened. For a minute, a stunned, thick silence hung between us.

"I wasn't cooperative. I was stubborn- disobedient," He finally said, "the people who inflicted these scars- _souvenirs,_ they called them- were nothing but cowardly, filthy, ill-tempered weaklings acting all high and mighty- trying to play God, most would say," He scoffed. I blinked, a little miffed at that little speech of his. "But that's not important." I pursed my lips. What could that have meant? Trying to play God? I reached forth, my fingers gently brushing over the burn mark just under his collar burn. He flinched away, at first, but apparently came to put up with it.

"And this?" I asked quietly. "What does this symbol represent?" His expression, which had gradually turned relaxed, quickly became guarded.

"It's not important." He said, gruffly. He gestured to the injury on his shoulder. It didn't look deep, but even now, it was still dripping a little bit of blood. As for the other wound on his other arm, it was just a gash, luckily nothing too serious, but still deep enough for the need of a gauze. "So, it's not life threatening, correct?" I nodded.

"No. I mean yes. Wait what?" I shook my head; I hated it when this happened. It always confused me and made me look like a fool. "It's not life threatening," I confirmed. "But I still have to clean the wound and stuff. It may not be enough to land you in an emergency room, but it _is_ enough to get a serious infection. Turn your arm a little towards me- yes, like that. Keep it there, please." I instructed as I dipped the cloth in the bowl, wringing out all of the unnecessary water.

"This might hurt," I warned. He nodded slightly as I pressed the rag to the gash. He didn't do so much as flinch. For a moment, it stayed like that, me cleaning his wound as gently as possible, a deafening silence around us until I decided to break it.

"So what're you gonna do now?" I asked as I applied the antibiotics to his gash. "Now that you're back, I mean." He gave a small shrug.

"Probably attend Crypton high again," He said, "it'll most likely be...strange, to say the least, with my change in appearance, and since my people skills are more than a little rusty."

"Really?" I said, as I got a fair amount of gauze from the kit. "You seem to be talking to me just fine." He raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe so," He said. "But I've forgotten how to _actually_ interact with people of my age. At least, without looking strange." He muttered as I moved onto his shoulder.

"Really? Why?" I asked, genuinely curious. Rin had said that he seemed pretty social. _Yeah, that was two years ago_ , I silently reminded myself, _Things change_.He was quiet for a minute before speaking.

"So, you're finished, right?" He mumbled. I nodded, my lips pursed. He dodged the question, but, considering that he was gone for so long and had who knows _what_ done to him, I decided to let it slide. I'll pester him some other time.

"Yeah, yeah." I mumbled. I tossed him his black T-shirt. "Keep the wounds dry and clean. If the gauze gets dirty or something, replace it. You know how to do it, right? Good. Keep it in place within the first 24 hours. Take the gauze off when bathing, and wash it with soap and water. Try to get any crust or dried blood out of the wound with a cotton swab or something. Also, do _not_ go swimming or take a bath or submerge yourself in the water at _all_ until the wound's completely healed-"

"But what if someone throws me into the water?" He asked bluntly. He must have seen my puzzlement at this, because he quickly followed up with "Or if I fall in?"

"Try to get out as quickly as possible, I guess. Dry it off, then contact me." I said. He nodded.

"Alright," I continued, "if it starts smelling weird, or if it starts emitting this gross ooze or something like that, contact me or medical help. If it also gets red, swollen, and hot, that could be a sign of infection." He nodded again.

"That all?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yeah."

"Thank you." He said. I chewed the inside of my cheek and looked away, finding his piercing gaze a bit intense.

"Yeah, no problem." There was a cry of joy from downstairs, and I raised my eyebrows. That didn't sound much like Rin- the voice was deeper, silkier- a little mature, even, whereas Rin's voice was higher and a bit squeakier.

"Len! Miku!" I heard Rin call. Len squinted slightly.

"...Yeah?" He finally called back, a little hesitant, probably at Rin's cheerful voice.

"Come down!" She yelled. "I want you guys to meet someone!"


	7. Chapter 7

******Miku**  
Len's expression didn't change at all when a blur of yellow slammed into him. A girl with long blonde hair in a side ponytail had her delicate arms wrapped around Len into a tight embrace. He remained stony faced, making it impossible to read his expression, which for some reason made me frustrated. The girl sniffled. She looked so petite and delicate next to Len- she was nearly a head shorter than him. She drew away and wiped her honey-colored eyes.

"G-Glad to see you finally turned up," She said. "Couldn't have you bailing on me and leave me to face the dumbasses at Crypton by myself." She crossed her arms and turned her body away, giving a small huff. Len didn't really react, only giving a small nod towards the girl.

"Hello, Neru." He said, simply. Neru smiled up at him, but it didn't reach her eyes. They seemed worried. Confused. About as confused as I was, as I was left wondering who this girl was. Another woman gently pushed past Neru. She had long, pink hair and sparkling blue eyes. She looked like she could've been in her mid twenties, but the air of maturity surrounding her led me to believe she was older. She smiled, her ocean blue eyes sparkling with delight and becoming watery at the sight of Len.

"Aunt Luka," He greeted, same tone and expression. She chuckled softly.

"You've sure grown, my little banana..." She said softly. Len rolled his eyes, although they looked happy, and Luka went in for a big hug. He awkwardly patted her back. She was, like the blonde girl, a little bit on the short side and petite-looking. She pulled away and analyzed his face, worry etched onto her face, much like the blonde girl.

"What happened to you, my boy?" She whispered. Len was quiet for a minute, then looked away.

"That's not important, Auntie," He said, quietly. "Why was Ritsu wandering the streets, all alone? At nighttime, especially." Luka sighed softly, then rubbed her temples.

"I didn't know that she was out," She explained, softly. "I put her to bed, and when I came to check up on her, she was gone and the window was open." Len nodded, slowly, as if he understood exactly what had happened. However, if he did, he certainly didn't voice it.

That's when I seemed to be noticed. Luka turned to me, sky blue eyes shining with curiosity. "Who's this?" She asked.

"That's Miku," Rin popped in. "She's one of my friends. You guys want some coffee or something? 'Cause I can go make it." Luka nodded, a small smile on her face.

"That'd be lovely, dear," She said. Rin turned to look at Neru, who shrugged.

"I can go for some coffee," She replied, and Rin gave a toothy grin before running off to the kitchen. Luka turned to me then extended her hand. I did the same, and we shook.

"Nice to meet you," I greeted. She smiled warmly.

"And I, you." She said. "I'm Luka, Len & Rin's aunt. This here is my daughter, Neru." Neru seemed a bit more reluctant to shake my hand, but did so anyways. Her grip was strong and firm.

"You're Len's cousin?" I asked. She nodded.

"Kinda," She said, gruffly. "Not by blood. I'm adopted." I nodded slowly. Neru seemed harmless enough, but judging one by their looks was a foolish move. I didn't know why, but the way she looked at me with those golden eyes made me feel unsettled. It wasn't unfriendly nor malicious, just...intense. Thankfully, she took her eyes off me when a small voice timidly spoke up.

"Mommy?" Ritsu said, softly, unshed tears in her eyes. Luka looked down and stifled a sob as she bent down and scooped Ritsu up.

"What happened, baby?" She whispered, hugging her tight. "You really scared mommy when you went away." Ritsu hiccuped.

"I-I just wanted to see the ki-kitty outside of my window," She sobbed. "Th-Then the scary men came. Cousin Le-Len saved m-me and cousin Rin and the pretty blue-haired l-lady!" Luka looked up at Len, as did Neru, who seemed baffled.

"Really? How many did you take on?" Neru asked, seeming both shocked and impressed. "Last I saw you, you didn't even have the heart to kill a spider." She chuckled. Len blinked.

"Yes, well I suppose I had a much softer heart back then," He mused, as if the memory was one from long, long ago when he was a child doing something absurd. "Two."

"What?" She asked.

"Two men." He replied. Neru looked a tad shocked, then turned to me.

"No way. Really?" I nodded, and a small grin made its way to her face. "That's so cool. Were they armed? Did Lenny boy here get hurt?"

"Yeah, they were armed. Len broke one of their noses and actually flipped one of them over and made them retreat. Um, I think one of them had a gun but Len didn't get shot, thankfully. They did try to shoot him a couple of times, but he dodged them, although he got stabbed in the shoulder with a knife one of them was carrying, as well as a gash on his arm. They aren't too serious, not enough to be hospitalized for, anyways." I murmured. I watched as Neru's eagerness slowly ebbed away, being replaced by worry as she glanced back at Len.

"Oh. Did he also get hit? There's a faint bruise on his jaw..." I nodded, and she winced. "I see. Although I'm proud of you, be more careful, okay? Considering that you managed to take two men out, break one of their noses, and dodge a couple of bullets, and probably some even cooler stuff, you just might have a shot at being on the same level as Gakupo."

"Gakupo?" I asked, frowning and tilting my head in confusion.

"If I remember correctly, he's a martial arts teacher, best fighter in this town." Len informed. I blinked. Neru broke into a dreamy grin.

"Yeah! And he isn't one of those hella old Asian guys; he's only 18! Not only that, but he is _so_ hot! He has a reputation for being a womanizer in this town. He's so dreamy...I almost hooked up with him, once-"

" _What?"_ Luka said, sternly, carrying a now sleeping Ritsu. She turned to give her daughter a hard stare, and Neru chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I- I mean that we almost... went to...his dad's dojo for free...with my friends, but his dad caught us...so we didn't hook up. Hook up is the new slang term for...hanging out." Luka scoffed, and Len snorted softly, shrugging when he received Neru's glare at the action.

"I don't hear the kids these days using that term for 'hanging out'." Luka said, squinting. Neru laughed nervously.

"W-Well, it's a new thing now. Get with the times, mom!"

" _Hey_. I'm only 38." She snapped back. Neru sighed and rolled her eyes. I wondered if Luka thought of Neru's actions to be disrespectful.

"Still old," She muttered under her breath. "So when are you comin' back to school?" She asked Len.

"Hopefully, tomor-"

"Nope." I said, giving him a small glance. He gave me a confused glare.

"What do you mean?" He asked. I crossed my arms, then eyed his shoulder; no way he thought that he could go to school with a stab wound and bruised ribs. He must be either crazy or stupid.

"You're injured. You need time to heal." I stated, He scoffed.

"Miku, please." He said. "I'll be perfectly fi-"

"That's what injured people say before they get hurt even worse."

"How do you know what I was going to say?"

"You were going to say 'I'll be perfectly fine'."

"But how do you know that?"

"What else would you have said?"

"I dunno, maybe 'I'll be perfectly financial'."

"But that doesn't even make sense."

"So? I still could've said it. I probably don't make sense 90% of the time anyway."

"O…kay. Whatever you say. You're still not going to school tomorrow." Len shot me a glare. For the first time, I didn't shrink back like I usually did when people gave me dirty looks or yelled at me. Instead, I straightened up so I stood taller, and tilted my chin up and gave him the most challenging and scornful look I could muster.

It was like that for a little, our little staredown. It probably could have gone on forever if it weren't for Neru's awkward cough. Len broke away first, reluctantly, it seemed. "Fine." He muttered as he also crossed his arms. "When is it okay for me, then?" I felt the corner of my mouth twitch upward for a minute before replying.

"Next Monday should be okay, if you don't push yourself." I said, and he sighed.

"There's your answer," He said. Neru nodded slightly before smiling.

"Kay," She said. "I'll wait for you 'till then." We chatted for about an extra minute before Luka announced that it was way past Ritsu's bedtime, and that they should leave. Luka gave Len one last hug after she put on her coat. She whispered something in his ear, and I wasn't sure, but I thought that I saw a tinge of red on Len's cheeks. "It's not..." I heard him mumble quietly. Luka smiled warmly at me and clasped my hand.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Miku," Her eyes sparkled brighter, and they darted to Len, who was looking the other way, most likely to hide what I thought was a blush, for half a second before breaking away and taking Ritsu from Neru. Len closed the door behind them, and Rin came out from the kitchen with a tray that had about five cups of steaming hot coffee present on them.

"Whew! Finally finished the cof- hey, where'd everyone go?" She asked. She groaned in response to the silence in the air. "God dammit! I _just_ learned how to work that thing."  
 **~*~**  
"Yes! Finished the last cup!" Rin said, her grin turning into a face of discomfort as she set down the last of the five coffee cups down. "Gotta pee!" She squeaked as she got up and raced toward the bathroom. She drank all of the coffee she'd made for us, Luka, and Neru, surprisingly. ("Why don't you just drain it?" "Oh _hell_ no! I spent so long making it, I'm not gonna waste it!")

I would've helped her drink some of it if it weren't nighttime. I didn't want to be too wired up to go to sleep, after all. Len just lazily said that he didn't feel like coffee. ("What do you mean you don't feel like it?!" "I mean that I don't feel like coffee. Drink it yourself or something.")

For a minute, a silence enveloped the two of us. I was sitting at the end of the couch, and Len was sitting at the opposite end. The silence was deafening- maddening, even. So I decided to ask a question that I was itching to ask.

"So wh-"

"No."

"You don't even know what I'm going to say."

"Trust me, I do. You were going to ask what Luka said to me."

"Well...yeah. What did she say?"

"Not telling you, Hatsune." He crossed his arm, and I huffed, crossing my arms as well.

"Why not, _Kagamine_?" I asked, squinting. If he wanted to play the call-each-other-by-your-last-name game, then so be it. Len turned to glare at me.

"Because I don't want you to know."

"Why the hell not?" I whined, glaring right back. He smirked.

"You're dying to find out, huh?" He asked. I sighed.

"No." I replied, somewhat childishly. "Go ahead and don't tell me, then. I couldn't care less." Len shrugged.

"Alright. Fine with me."

"Fine." I hissed back. We sat in a painstakingly quiet and uncomfortable silence for a minute before I broke; I was just dying to figure out what had made Len Kagamine blush, even if it was the slightest tint of red in his cheeks. No, I didn't even know him for a full day, but I could just read what kind of person he was. It was almost scary.

I could tell that he was the type of guy- well, now, at least- that meant business. The kind of guy that can act all sarcastic and sassy and feel a terrible pain within him, all while playing the part of a normal person convincingly. The kind of guy that didn't break easily and the kind of guy that was fearsome when truly pissed off. And, most of all, the type of guy that was extremely loyal to loved ones and did anything to make sure they're okay and did anything to ensure that. The type of person that cared too much, though they would never show it and instead put on a tough facade for certain people. The one that would do anything to make sure that a happy smile is present on their face. Yeah, that kind of guy.

"I lied," I blurted. "What did she tell-"

"No."

"Oh come on!" I sighed, then perked up as an idea came to mind. "It was about me, wasn't it?" Len scoffed.

"Certainly not!" He replied, shifting in his seat. Bingo. Jackpot. It was. Definitely.

"Oh, it is!" I gasped. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"Go ask Luka yourself if you're so interested," He grumbled, sighing.

"But I'm probably not gonna see her again!" I whined. "And when I do, I'll forget!"

"Exactly," Len said.

"Just tell-"

"No."

"Why no-"

"Because."

"Pl-"

"I said no, dammit."

I opened my out to protest once again, but he put his hand up. "No. Piss off, Hatsune." I huffed as he put his hand down, closed his eye and looked away.

"Well, fuck you too, Kagamine," I muttered under my breath. Len scoffed silently.

"Heard that."

"I know." I retorted, and although I couldn't be sure, (I could _never_ be sure with this boy, god dammit) I saw his lips turn upward into an almost-smile.


	8. Chapter 8

**Miku**  
"Len! You're back! Buddy! Give me a hug- okay, maybe not, then."

"Kyaaa! Len! Welcome back! We've all totally missed you! What's with the new look? It looks, like, so totally _hot_."

"Ayeee, Len! My man! What happened to your face? No, not the eyepatch. I mean the scary expression."

"We-We're glad you've be-been found, Le-Len. I-If you don't mind me asking, what happen- o-oh, okay. I u-understand if you don't wanna ta-talk about it."

"No way...Len, is that you?! C'mere, man- ow! Okay, okay, no hugging, then."

"Hmph! I knew you'd show up, Kagamine! Just didn't know you'd show up looking hella badass..."

Miku glanced at the blonde-haired boy beside her. He was blank-faced as usual. The only time his facial expression changed was when someone tried to hug him, and he ended up shooting them a terrifying glare. "Looks like you were real popular," She remarked. He frowned.

"Unfortunately." He replied with a small snort. Rin rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, it's not that bad. I mean, you've got tons of people worrying for you, right?" Rin offered. Len scoffed.

"It's terrible. I'd rather come here quietly than have everyone making a huge deal out of it." Len cast a looked behind him, where a group of girls were huddled in a circle, glancing at him every now and then, giggling. " _God_. They're like damn shadows- following me everywhere." He scowled. Rin shrugged.

"It's better than nobody caring and hating you, right?" She said. Len gave her a blank look.

"Actually, that's exactly what I want," Len grumbled. "I'd rather have people not know I even exist rather than... _this_." Miku rolled her eyes, about to shoot out another remark, but a loud, joyous yell rang out before she could.

"LEEEEEEEEEEENNN!" A male voice screeched. Len barely had time to react before a guy happily glomped him from behind. Len wasted no time grabbing the guy's forearm and the back of his neck and flipping him over his shoulder, as if it was on instinct. The boy let out a small noise of surprise as he was flipped over. Miku saw the group of girls in the back gasp and watch them with wide eyes. The boy, on the ground now, looked up at Len with shocked eyes.

"Aw~ How rude!" He pouted. "I'm so glad to see you, Len!" He said, grinning, as if the fact that someone just flipped them over their shoulder didn't affect him. He had dark blue hair and light blue eyes that sparkled with joy and mischief. Len sighed and held a hand out to the boy, who gladly accepted it as he hoisted himself to his feet. The grin on his face didn't waver at all. Len scoffed.

"The hell are you still smilin' for, Kaito?" He asked. Kaito just grinned wider, the excitement in his eyes growing. Len scowled, giving him a warning glare, although it seemed softer than the ones he gave the others.

" _Don't you fucking dare_." He warned. Kaito didn't listen. Instead, with a joyous cry, he flung himself at Len, who put his arms up to defend himself, and tackled him to the floor in a tight embrace.

"Len, Len, Len!" Kaito happily yipped as he squirmed on top of Len like an excited puppy. "You're here, you're here! I've missed you so much!" Needless to say, they earned lots of strange looks from people. Len growled, pushing Kaito's face away with his hand. Kaito didn't seem to mind, and seemed to actually _nuzzle_ into his hand.

"Ugh, get the fuck off of me," Len growled, glaring at him. "Your god damn happiness is rubbing off on me and I hate it." Kaito finally obeyed, climbing off of Len and helping him up with a grunt. Len dusted himself off and shot a glare at Kaito, who was still grinning widely.

"Hug me again and I'll break your nose." He warned. Kaito pouted.

"Aw. You've changed so much, Len! I mean, yeah, you hated my hugs a whole lot back then, but now you look like you're gonna kill me!" He whined, throwing his hands up. He shot him yet another grin and draped his arm across his shoulder. "But hey! You look even hotter than before~" Len shrugged his arm off.

"And you're even gayer than before," He grumbled. Kaito perked up, then crossed his arms.

"I'm not even gay!"

"Keep tellin' yourself that."

"Really! I hooked up with Meiko, like, last year, and shit was pretty serious!"

"And how'd that go?"

"Well, she broke up with me-"

"-because she realized how gay you are?"

"No! She had the hots for Dell..."

"Mmhm." Len said skeptically. Kaito huffed slightly and turned to look at Rin. His face broke out in another smile, and so did Rin's as she enveloped him in a hug.

"Hey, you!" She chuckled.

"Hiya, Rin!" Kaito replied happily as he pulled away. "How've you been?" She beamed.

"Good, good." She replied. Miku shifted a little bit, feeling a little uncomfortable just standing there and watching the slightly cringe-worthy scene unfold before her, and Kaito seemed to notice the movement from the corner of his eye. His gaze drifted to the tealette, blue eyes filling up with curiosity immediately.

"Eh? Who's this?" He asked. Rin glanced at Miku, still grinning.

"This is Miku, a close friend of mine. Miku, this is Kaito, me and Len's best frie-"

"You mean _your_ best friend," Len mumbled. If Rin heard it, she didn't show any sign of it and continued talking.

"Three months ago, he went somewhere. I think it was Japan. He had to help out with family business or something, and he just got back. I hope you two'll get along." She introduced. Kaito flashed the tealette a warm smile that made her heart skip a beat and extended his hand. _Oh my God, he's cute,_ She shamelessly thought as she shook his hand. Unknown to Miku, Rin, and Kaito, Len sent a small glare at Kaito once he caught sight of Miku's slight blush.

"I see. I'm Kaito Shion, nice to meet you, Ms. Miku!"

* * *

Miku sighed as she collapsed on her couch. It had been a busy day for her. With so many people (mainly girls) swarming Len, he'd finally caved in and asked her to help him hide from the fangirls. The day was full of lots of running, needless to say. Right after school, she had to go grocery shopping as well. The traffic was terrible, for some odd reason, so she ended up finally coming home to relax an hour and a half after school. She sighed softly as she hugged a pillow to her chest, her thoughts drifting to Kaito.

 _He seemed nice enough,_ she thought. _I like him already, although I wonder what was up with Len today...perhaps he parted with Kaito on bad terms._ Throughout the day, whenever she was chatting with Kaito, Len would advert her attention from the blue-haired male to him in some strange way. Once, she was pretty sure she saw Len glaring daggers at him when they were excitedly talking about their favorite anime and music artists. But, then again, she learned that Len glared at nearly everyone _at least_ once. She picked up a magazine, refusing to allow her thoughts to drift back to the two boys, when her phone began to ring.

She scrambled up and off the couch as soon as she heard her ringtone, looking all around until she finally found it in her backpack. "Hello?" She said as soon as she answered.

"Miku?" The person said. She immediately recognized it as Len's voice. He seemed a bit breathless, she noticed. His voice was slightly hoarse, and he coughed.

"Len?" She asked, immediately on red alert. "Are you okay?" She could practically hear him rolling his eyes.

"If I wasn't, I think I'd be calling an ambulance instead of you," He grumbled. She snorted.

"Oh, shut up, you snarky bastard," She scoffed. "Whaddya want?"

"So I kind of fell in a pool." He said simply. "And you told me to call you, so-"

"What?" Miku asked, slightly baffled. "How in the world did you manage to do that?!" Len clicked his tongue on the other line.

"Not important." He replied. "So what do I do?" Miku pursed her lips. She was curious as to how Len fell in a pool, and why he was even there in the first place, but she decided to nag him about it later. She needed to tend to the wounds and make sure they don't get infected. It was far too early for a wound like that to get completely submerged in water, especially while it was still healing.

"Ah...I'll meet you at your place, get there as soon as-" Before she could finish, someone in the background yelled, "Hey! What're you doing?" Len muttered a curse.

"Great fucking timing," He scoffed. "Oi, can you, like, not? I'm on the god damn phone, you inconsiderate cunt! Jesus, no manners-" The person in the background interrupted him again.

"You- you're him! And you- Master Al? You k-"

"Haha, enough outta you, you little bitch," Miku heard Len loudly reply. "So I gotta call you ba- ugh, fuck _-"_ There was a yell of anger, then the splashing of water, then the line went dead.

"Wha- Len? _Len_!" She hissed, receiving no response. When it was clear that she wouldn't be getting a reply on anything, she hung up, confusion and concern building up in her chest. The hell was Len doing? What did that guy mean when he said 'you're him'? Miku bit her lip worriedly. She wondered if Len was in trouble, and the fear and worry became 10 times more noticeable than before. She wrung her hands worriedly. _No point in sitting here. I told Len to meet me at Rin's. The best I can do is wait and see._ She got up and took her car keys, her hand on the door, pausing for a moment.

 _The best I can always do is wait, isn't it?_

 **~*~**  
Len was soaking wet when he arrived at the door. His blonde hair was out of the ponytail he wore today and dripping wet and his clothes were soggy, and he left wet footprints in his wake. Strangely, however, he still had the eyepatch on. "Len!" Miku sighed with relief. "You're okay!" Len rolled his eyes.

"Obviously." He replied. "I mean, it's _me_ , after all." Miku huffed and crossed her arms.

"Didn't sound like it when you called me. The hell were you doing? What was that?" She asked. Len leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms stubbornly.

"Stuff." He replied simply.

"What kind of stuff?"

"Business."

"But what kind of business?"

"Not yours." He replied as he walked further into the room, pausing at the couch, looking unsure if he should sit or not. In the end, he decided to be a rebel and sat anyways. "So. About the injuries..."

* * *

Len peered over the fence, narrowing his eye slightly as he took another quick glance at the house. It was the one where Alphonse Greenly lived, or as he's most commonly known as, Big Al. He cast yet another look into the backyard, where Al, who was sunbathing in a chair earlier, was now gone. Perfect. The Kagamine jumped the fence and landed on his feet, not making a sound.

He scanned the area. The lush grass looked nearly impossibly green, and a garden full of exotic, colorful flowers took its place alongside the other fence across from him. The pool, surrounded by the beige concrete, sloshed around quietly, making lights across the walls that contained the water. The shape of the pool was circular, and the glittering, crystal blue water inside of it looked majestic. There were palm trees planted somewhere near the back of the backyard, and the birds chirping was both melodious and quiet. The scene was beautiful.

But Len wasn't here to admire the beauty. He had something he had to do- unfinished business, some would call it. Alphonse Greenly posed a threat, and a big one, to him and everyone he loves. He wasn't going to take the risk of letting him get away, not this time. He cautiously walked toward the door, noiselessly, and let the small dagger from the sleeve of his coat slide down into his hand as he peered around the corner. He lunged back just in time as a knife sped past where his face would've been if he didn't move.

"Len!" A deep voice yelled joyously. Len jumped out from behind the corner and threw the knife at Al. However, the the man just simply ducked, and the small dagger buried itself in the wall behind him. The 25 year old grinned at Len, as if he were an old friend. He was tall and muscular-looking, with light brown eyes and brown hair slicked back with a few strands escaping from the gel. Across his upper forehead area was a series of stitches that went all the way around his head. Al's eyes shone brightly. "I'm so glad you decided to come and try to kill me! I thought you'd never come here, Hellhound. You're gonna make me even richer than I already am!" Len growled as he dodged a few more knives coming his way. The daggers seemed to be coming out of nowhere, and Al was throwing them so quickly that even the Kagamine was starting to have a bit of a hard time dodging them.

"Yeah? And why's that?" He grunted, mostly just to amuse the older man. He already knew how he'd 'make him rich', but distracting him by talking was a good idea.

"Oh, I think you know, Devil's Dog," He chuckled merrily, glancing up and showing him a wide grin. "They're paying handsomely for your return. You're a very valuable asset to them, no?"

 _Very valuable indeed~_ A small voice inside him sang. _Maybe coming back to your friends you left behind will make you feel better!_

Len growled softly. _Shut the fuck up,_ He thought sourly, pushing the negative, annoying voice away and locking it up somewhere deep in the back of his mind. Al frowned, and that's when Len noticed that he stopped throwing the knives. "Oh, dear," Al said, frowning. "It appears I've run out. I suppose it's down to hand-to-hand combat. I was really hoping it wouldn't come down to this. It'd be a shame if I were to hurt you a little too badly for their liking," He sighed sadly before cracking his knuckles.

Len barely had any time to blink before Al was suddenly in front of him, his foot traveling up to hit the side of Len's jaw. Luckily, thanks to his abnormally quick reflexes, he managed to block the attack and send in a punch of his own. Unfortunately for him, the punch was blocked. He withdrew his hand immediately and leaped back, eyes scanning the area for some sort of weapon. He didn't get enough time to properly look around before he found himself ducking and dodging various attacks. He actually managed to right hook punch Al, but it wasn't very effective. "You know, Devil's Dog, what it is I'm infamous for?"

"Hm, let's see..." Len said, pretending to think deeply. "Oh! Is it your infamously small dick?" Al clicked his tongue sadly at this.

"No, no, my OTN's quite gigantic," He said, before grinning madly. "...Operation. Experiments. Of course, you'd know much about this, considering what you went through for that sister of yours. And I just can't wait to get inside you and examine exactly what it is that makes you so special."

"Sorry, old man, I don't swing that way." Len replied. "But you're supposed to turn me in instead of doing your creepy-ass experiments and sexually assaulting me, aren't you?" Al just shrugged as flipped over behind Len and attempted to pull him into a headlock. Len simply ducked and jumped up, kicking Al in the chest. Al only stumbled back, just a little. For Len, that was progress. He leaped back further and landed on his feet.

"Hm, I suppose you do have a point. But they said that as long as I don't kill you or do any severe damage, then I can do whatever I want." Len let out a disapproving noise as he was flipped over Al's shoulder. He extended his arms and rolled to his feet.

"I thought you'd be more impressive, old man." Len said, a bit amused. Al scowled, and Len knew he hit a small nerve. _Al's weakness is his own ego. What a surprise_ , Len thought sarcastically as he grabbed Al's face and smashed it into his knee as hard as he could. He felt Al grab the back of his neck and throw him over his shoulder. He managed to land on his feet, luckily, and when he looked up, Al's face was very smug."You know, Len, that whiny bitch, Gumi-" Len let out a threatening snarl.

"Don't call her that," Al looked delighted at the fact that he struck a huge nerve within the blonde. He kept going.

"She's so pathetic. She believes that you will come back for her. Stupid, right? We all know you won't ever-"

"Watch me, bitch." Len growled. "And while I'm at it, I'll blow the whole Blackport operation out of the ground." Al looked amused at this.

"Oh? And how will you do that, little one?" He mocked. "Such arrogance, much like before. Or was that determination? Ah, no matter. A small fry like you could never pull that off. And what about your little friend, hm? Blackport's the only one that can get him out, and they'll never do that. They'd rather watch their whole operation crumble before them than cure you. But anyways, getting off topic," He said, examining his nails, as if he wasn't in a fight with a dangerous enemy. "She's heartbroken. She blames you for leaving her there. She may never say it, but she does. Ooh, when she finds out that you've already found a replacement for her-"

"Shut the hell up!" Len shouted, sprinting toward Al, his eye bright with rage. He threw a sloppy punch at Al's face, but he simply dodged it and threw a punch at Len's gut. The punch didn't stop Len, though. He lifted his leg and kicked toward Al's face, but he simply ducked and tackled Len to the floor, effectively pinning the boy down. Len let out a feral growl. _Shit,_ he thought. _Maybe I should've came here with a plan beforehand..._

Meanwhile, Al was having too much fun in seeing an angered Len. Once he got him furious once, it was hard to stop. "And you're just so _vulnerable_ now. You've got so many dear to you, so many that wouldn't stand a chance against me or anyone else...that girl, the one that your other friend likes...what was her name...Miki? Mika? Mikayla?" He pondered, a satisfied grin making its way to his face. Len scowled sourly.

 _Damn it. So Kaito does like her. If I get kidnapped, he'll probably end up with her and-_ Len had to refrain from making a horrified expression once he processed his thoughts. God fucking _forbid_ he starts to get worked up over something small at this time. _Ugh_ , he thought, _modern society is rubbing off on me again. Perhaps it's just because Kaito doesn't end up with women for long and I don't want to ruin their friendship. Or not, but fuck, why am I even thinking about this shit? I'm literally being pinned down by some creepy-ass gay pedophile. I should probably start formulating a plan..._

"She really is a cute and innocent girl. It'd be a shame if someone were to take away that purity, no?" Len's eye widened at this. If Al did capture him, if he lost against Al, then he'd...

Al giggled. "Oh, I just love seeing the absolute hatred and dread in your face! It's quite amusing, but what I can't wrap my head around is why you chose _her."_

Len shot him a withering glare. "What do you mean ' _chose_ '?"

"Well, I mean, she is your girlfriend, yes?"

"Ugh. God, no."

"But what about those jealous glares you gave your friend today? If I'm not mistaken, it seems that the ice prince of Blackport has found a soft spot for someone he barely met a week ago! My, that's a record! It took you, what, a couple months to finally befriend that one girl, Gumi?"

"It's not like that, you fucking creep."

"Hm. Does that mean she's up for grabs, then?" He asked. Len growled threateningly.

" _Don't you fucking touch her_."

"Ooh, protective are we? And of what? Some bitch you hardly know?" Len's mouth pulled back in a snarl, anger building up in his chest at the offensive words toward his friend. "Why do you keep her around, hm? It must be her body. The girl's got a bland personality, nothing exotic about her except for her appearance. Nice ass, amazing figure, silky beautiful hair, gorgeous blue-green eyes, big breasts. But under it all, there's no personality, nothing unique. At least Gumi was a fiery, feisty girl." Len forced himself to keep his cool, which was nearly impossible. Not only did he just insult Miku and talk about her body, but he brought up Gumi _again._ Fucking asshole was talking shit and was just _begging_ to get hit. Inhaling and exhaling slowly, he forced himself to keep his cool on the outside, although inside he was just about ready to snap Al's neck even more so than before, and carry out the plan he formulated in his head.

Len mumbled something incomprehensible under his breath. "Eh? What was that, hellhound?" Al asked, smirking. Len muttered it again, but Al still couldn't make out what he was trying to say. He leaned down to hear what the young blonde had to say. A dumb move on his part. Len drew his head back and headbutted Al as hard as he could. He heard Al make a noise of surprise in the back of his throat, his grip on Len loosening just enough so that Len could break out of his grasp. He shoved Al back forcefully and leaped back up. That was when the anger returned.

"Don't you fucking talk about her like that!" He roared as he ducked another kick from Al. The edges of his vision were red from rage, and without thinking, he let out a yell and charged towards the bigger man and tackled him. Unfortunately, they were in front of the pool, which meant that when Len's tackle actually proved to be effective, they both tumbled into the water. Luckily, Len knew how to swim, but the last time he actually swam was in 7th grade, so he was definitely rusty. He opened his eye and pulled a flailing Al further down.

Al's hands found their way around Len's neck, and he began to slowly but surely squeeze, making it harder and harder for the Kagamine to breath. The two, now nearly at the bottom of the pool, both struggled to breathe. Len tried to pry Al's hands off of his neck, but he held on tight. He clenched his jaw, and deciding that he's got nothing to lose, sent a punch toward his face with all the strength he can muster.

Surprisingly, it went through and took effect, loosening Al's hold on his neck, giving him the opportunity to push back. He wanted to kill him, right then and there, and save the trouble.

But Len was running out of air. His lungs screamed for oxygen and his heart hammered in his chest and threatened to leap out of his chest. Shoving him down once again and pushing upward, Len was finally greeted by the sweet, cool air. He was in the middle of taking an enormous gasp of air when he noticed something at the corner of his eye. Al had made his way up and was now trying to get out. Just when he got his leg up, Len swam over there, grabbed his ankle, and pulled him back into the water and hoisted himself out of the pool as quickly as he could.

He got up and looked around for a weapon- anything sharp, really. That's when he noticed the window. There may have been no knives around, but if that window were to break... _I'm not sure if I should use it,_ He thought somewhat uncertainly, _last time, shit went out of control. If I were to do it again-_

Before he could finish his thought, he felt a presence behind him. He immediately ducked, thankfully avoiding getting kicked in the head, and scooped up a large rock. Before he could do anything, he felt a strong pair of arms put him in a choke hold. _Ugh_ , He thought, _as if I didn't suffocate enough so far._ With a grunt, he managed to grab a hold on the back of Al's neck and flip him over. In that moment, he threw the rock at the glass window, shattering it.

As Len estimated, Al immediately stood back up at the same time and turned around to glance at him. "You'll never see that precious whore of yours ever again," He growled. Len glanced at the shattered window, then at the shards of glass on the ground. "Oi." He said. "Look behind you. Also, one more thing..." _Okay. You got this shit. Use the force, Len, use the god damned force if you wanna kill this bitch._

He willed the glass to come speeding towards Al, sharp end first. And it did. Just as Al turned around, the shard, as if someone picked it up and threw it, came speeding toward him. He noticed what was happening little too late. The shard buried itself in Al's throat, and he made a gasping, gurgling sound and fell back into the pool, staining the water red. _Bulls-fucking-eye, asshole._ Len looked down at him coldly.

"Her name's Miku, you ass." He spat as Alphonse Greenly's dull, dead eyes stared up at him. In that moment, Len felt a small tinge of satisfaction as he observed Al's body. It wasn't that he was a sadistic psycho serial killer or something like that, although he had killed lots of people before. It meant that there was at least one less threat to Rin and Miku and Kaito and everyone else he cared about. It also meant that he could check one more person off of his hit list.

However, also in that moment, was when he felt like shit. He felt like he ran ten miles without stopping. He felt like every last bit of his energy has been taken from his body, and he could already feel himself breaking down into a cold sweat as he gasped for air. That was the consequence of him using his telekinesis, even if it was just a little, which is why he only used it in emergencies. Not only that, but it sometimes spiraled out of control. Once, when he used it, he sent the occupants of the room flying, nearly broke all the furniture in the room, and made a large crack in the floors, walls, and even the ceiling.

Len glanced at his phone, which had fallen out of his pocket some time during the fight and reached over and grasped it in his hand lightly. He felt he had enough energy to at least call someone- Miku. Her advice floated through his head as he numbly dialed her number. After a few rings, he finally got a response. "Hello?"

"Miku?" He asked, even though he recognized the voice. It couldn't hurt to be sure, after all. Starting a conversation off with someone who sounded like Miku with the words ' _So remember when I got stabbed and you told me not to fall in the pool? Yeah, I fell in the pool'_ didn't seem like a good idea.

"Len? Are you okay?" She asked. Len, being the sassy bastard he is, rolled his eyes. His voice probably sounded like shit and like he was just done with everything, which at the time, he was. If he thought that Al was difficult, wiping the rest of the people on the list out would be harder. But he didn't want her to worry, and even more importantly, he didn't want her to know that he literally just killed a man.

"If I wasn't, I think I'd be calling an ambulance instead of you," He grumbled. She snorted on the other end of the line.

"Oh, shut up, you snarky bastard! Whaddya want?" Len felt the corners of his lips pull upward somewhat slightly at this.

"So I kind of fell in a pool," He said nonchalantly. "And you told me to call you so-" He heard Miku's slight, but sharp intake of breath at this.

"What?" She demanded, puzzlement in her voice, "how in the world did you manage to do that?!" Len considered thinking up an excuse for a moment, but he didn't feel like it. Too much effort. He clicked his tongue.

"Not important. So what do I do?" He replied. Miku sighed on the other line, somewhat exasperatedly.

"Ah...I'll meet you at your place, get there as soon as-" Len heard something drop, and he looked at the source. There, on the patio, was a large and beefy looking guy in a spiffy-looking suit and a mop of ginger hair on his head.

"Hey!" He boomed. "What're you doing?!" Len mumbled a curse under his breath. Of course, the universe just had to pick the moment when he was on the phone with Miku. Sometimes, he wondered if God hated him. Len wouldn't blame him if he did.

"Great fucking timing," He scoffed quietly. "Oi! Can you, like, not? I'm on the god damn phone, you inconsiderate cunt! Jesus, no manners-" Len watched as the guy's eyes drifted behind him and focused on Al's dead body floating in the pool, a large shard of glass buried in his throat, and his brown eyes widened with both shock and fear.

"You-You're him! And you- Master Al? You ki-" Len cut him off loudly, hoping to God that Miku wouldn't put the puzzle pieces together and figure out what he was about to say next.

"That's enough out of you, you little bitch," Len yelled back. He watched the guy's hands curl into fists and realized where this was going and mentally flipped a table. _Fuck my life_ , he thought tiredly before going back on the phone. "So I gotta call you ba- ugh, _fuck_ -" The guy let out an angered yell and charged toward him, tackling Len back into the water. Len barely managed to hang up in time and threw his phone onto the surface to prevent it from falling in the water with him. He didn't want to lose his phone, not when he just got it back, after all.

This guy, although he was very muscular, was a much easier opponent to take on. Len easily slipped out of his grasp, which wasn't very tight, and made his way out of the pool. He took a glance at the patio wall that his dagger was sticking out of. Sprinting toward it as quickly as he could and swiftly pulling it out, he turned and threw it at the ginger's head just as he was climbing out of the pool. The dagger struck him right in the forehead, and with wide eyes, he fell back.

It was quiet after that. The birds were still chirping quietly yet melodiously, and the rustle of the tree branches from the wind seemed too calm for such a grisly scene. Wordlessly, the Kagamine walked over to the pool, pulled the body closer to him, then pulled the knife out of the ginger's forehead. He bent down and scooped his phone up. It landed somewhere in the flowerbed, thankfully. Len walked over to the fence and paused to look behind him. The pool was now stained red and two bodies floated in it, lifelessly.

With a small smirk, the dripping wet blonde jumped the fence and made his way home.

 ***throws up confetti* YAY FOR A SUPER LONG CHAPTER! It took me 3 days to write all of this, smh. So things may have gotten crappy around the end. As you can see, I tried writing it in 3rd POV. I think I like 1st POV better, but I don't mind using 3rd POV that much either.**

 **And next chapter should be out soon, as I'm very, very excited to write it since I've been dying to write one certain scene, ehehe. Note that this also takes place near Halloween. Next chapter's also shown in Len's POV! Yay!**

 **So what'd you guys think of the chapter? What do you think will happen next? Why do you think Len has a hitlist? Who's Gumi? Len has powers? Whaaa? Comments are greatly appreciated! 'Till next time, my lovelies~**


	9. Chapter 9

**Oh yeah. We're going through Len's POV, where shit gets more confusing. I lied in the last author's note. I think I like writing in 3rd POV a whole lot, so for now on...**

 **Bold= 1st POV**  
 _ **Italics+bold= 3rd POV**_

 **Len**  
"D-Damn you..." Ruko gasped, coughing as blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. I pulled the knife out of her stomach and she collapsed against the alley wall. I stared down at her coldly. She wasn't dead, not yet at least. She looked up at me and sneered.

"Kill as many members as you want," She rasped. "You'll never be able to get _him_ out. You'll never fully make Blackport disappear, not _ever-"_ I crouched down to look her in the eye. She stared back at me fearfully. She didn't want to die. Maybe it was because she was afraid of what's after death. Maybe it's because she knows that she's going straight to hell for what she's done. I put the knife up to her throat.

"Hm. I'll find a way to get him out. Even if it means sacrificing myself," I told her, pressing the blade a bit harder into the throat. She gasped. "Now, tell me and I might let you live. Where is Hiyama Kiyoteru?" Ruko's eyes flashed.

"I- I-" She whispered. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I don't know. Please...don't kill me..." Her tears were overflowing now, streaming down her rosy cheeks. For a moment, I considered letting her go. _No,_ I thought to myself. _She knows where he'll be._ I pressed the blade harder against her neck, hard enough so that the metal pierced her skin so that just a little blood came from the cut.

"You know something," I told her grimly, giving her a hard stare. She crawled further into the corner. " _Tell me_."

"H-He'll be at a Halloween party tomorrow night," She whispered.

"And?"

"Th-The party's being hosted by Kaai Yuki tomorrow night at 10:00. Tha-That's all I know! I swear!" She whimpered. I paused, taking a moment to analyze her. She wasn't lying. Hesitantly, I took the knife away and stood up. She let out a sob of relief. I stood up and turned, then stopped for a split second. _No. You can't do this,_ I told myself. _You made a hitlist. She was on it. Let her live and that'll live up to be a terrible mistake. She'll come after you again with back up, she'll come for Miku and Rin. Don't do this. Don't walk away._

Before I could change my mind, I spun around and threw the blade at her chest, right into her heart. She looked up at me, brokenly, teary-eyed. "You said..."

"I said I _might_ let you live," I replied coldly, brushing aside the small twinge of guilt I felt. Ruko was stupid. I'd be lying if I said she was harmless, but she wasn't dumb enough to try and come back with backup. I watched the life fade from her eyes and as she slumped over. I reached down and pulled the knife out of her chest, convincing myself that I did the right thing.

* * *

"State your name and why you're here and I might not blow your brains out." A harsh female voice said. I could feel the cold metal of a gun barrel on the back of my head. I kept my poker face on.

"Len Kagamine. Gumi Megpoid told me that you could help me with a few things." The person was quiet for a minute.

"And what might that be?" She asked. I winced. _Man the fuck up, Kagamine, and get it over with,_ I growled to myself. With my vanishing dignity, I told her my plan. At first, I heard giggling, then that turned to full-blown hysterical laughter as the gun was removed from my head.

Cautiously, I turned around to face the person that I was speaking to. The speaker put their gun down on the table and straightened up, wiping tears from their eyes. It was a girl, probably at least a year older than me. Her white blonde hair went all the way down to her hips, and the front parts of her hair in braids, one on each side. Her crystal clear blue eyes seemed to have parts of violet and green in them. They were framed by her thick and long eyelashes. She wore a pink skirt and a black top, one side falling off of her shoulder, and another black tank top underneath.

"That's..." She trailed off before bursting into laughter once more, pounding the table with her fist. I crossed my arms.

"Shut up. I know it's ridiculous but I can't let them know it's me. No matter how much my pride will suffer." She straightened once again, and put on a straight face.

"Yeah, I can help you. But how do you know Gumi? Wasn't she in Blackport for nearly 3 years?" She asked. I looked her in the eye.

"I was taken there two years ago." I said, simply. Her mouth parted slightly in shock.

"But how...did Gumi get out as well?" I clenched my jaw and looked away. I couldn't look her in the eye and tell her of what happened. Of how I failed her. I heard her gasp slightly. "Is she...?" I shook my head.

"No. They can't kill her." I said. The girl blinked, sighed with relief, then pulled a chair out from a table and sat down.

"Oh? Do tell. But first, I should introduce myself. I'm IA."

 **~*~**  
"Do you hear that?" I asked IA miserably. "It's my pride. Up in flames." She snorted as I gave myself a once over in the mirror. IA wasn't lying when she said that she had some serious make-up skills. My lashes were thicker and longer, my cheeks rosier, my lips painted red, and my face looked softer and more feminine. My chin-length blonde hair was down and straightened, my bangs positioned over my left eye. The eyepatch was still there, no way in hell I'd take it off.

As for the costume, don't even get me started. The abomination was a frilly, pirate-themed mini-dress that barely covered my ass. The first layer was white and had most of the frills. The sleeves were frilly as well at the ends but thankfully covered my arms and was a bit baggy, though I think it was supposed to like that. The second layer was made out of something similar to black leather, and unlike the underlayer that seemed more like a shirt than a dress, had the outline of an actual dress. Then there were the thigh-high, black boots with white laces on the edges. They made me taller than I already was and it was hard to walk in them, but after about five hours of practice, I managed to decently walk around in them. Oh, and the worst part? I was wearing a bra. A _br_ a filled with _socks_ because, apparently, if I seem too flat people may suspect. I honestly began to think that it was more for IA's amusement than it was for the plan long ago.

Rei hooted with laughter. _Oh my God, Lenny boy!_ He cackled. _You totally look like a hot chick! I can't believe you're actually doing this!_ I made a sour face.

 _Shut the hell up,_ I thought, doing my best to store him in the back of my mind where I couldn't hear him anymore. He sighed.

 _Aw, no! Come on~ I just wanna see how everything's gonna go is all! We're sharing a body, you know-_

 _No,_ I snapped back. _We're not 'sharing'. This body is mine and will always be mine. You're just a parasite that needs to be exterminated. Don't get chummy with me._ Rei feigned hurt.

 _My feelings~_ He fake-sobbed. I ignored it and locked him up again somewhere deep in the back of my mind again. I did my best not to scowl. Once I got enough information out of Blackport members, I can finally get rid of that asshole once and for all.

"Funny how I can turn a super hot guy into a hot girl, hm? And, it's not that-"

"IA." I interrupted, shooting her a horrified look. " _I'm wearing a bra full of socks_. What can be worse than that?" IA pretended to think for a moment.

"Well, you could be wearing fishnets, an even shorter dress, and a corset. Oh, and nailpolish." She said. I cringed at the thought.

"Jesus Christ. Okay, well, you remember the plan right?" IA nodded.

"Yes. I give you the keys to my car and you go to the party. You'll seduce Hiyama-" I groaned and put my face in my hands.

"God, don't _say_ that!" I hissed. IA rolled her eyes.

"Sorry. So you bring Hiyama over here. You'll text me so I know not to fuck shit up and I'll get the basement ready. We knock him out then interrogate him." I nodded.

"Yep. So give me the keys." I said eagerly. The only upside to this whole thing was being able to drive her jet black convertable 1967 Impala. She winced then dug around in her purse before hesitantly handing the keys over to me.

"Don't fuck up my Lucy, alright?"

"You named your car Lucy?"

"Yeah. Got a problem with that?" I shook my head.

"Nope, none at all. I'll be off now." I said as I shuffled toward the door.

"Oh! Wait!" IA said. I felt her put something on my head. I didn't even have to turn around to know that it was a pirate's hat. I took it off and examined it. It was black, white laces outlining the ends of it and a white feather stuck out. I cringed.

"Do I..."

"Yup. Put it on. It'll complete the look." With a deep breath, I put the hat on. _God. I feel like one of those cross-dressing gay guys,_ I thought miserably as I walked out the door.

 _Fuck my life._

* * *

The party, I thought, was lame. But then again, I thought nearly everything was lame or stupid. Everyone else, however, seemed to be having a blast. Music blared through the speakers and people danced, talked, and a couple was even making out in the hallway. _Keep walking, keep fucking walking, Kagamine._

The large room was decorated with small, glowing pumpkins and the room was a bit dim, but still bright enough so I could see where I was going. Black and orange candles were lit in the extremely darkened areas, giving it a dim look as well. Up on the ceiling was a large, black chandelier with fake cobwebs decorating it and a skeleton sitting on top of it. People wearing a variety of costumes, from mythical to fictional characters from shows to zombies and further on, littered the place. Some had red plastic cups in hands, some didn't. There were several other decorations ranging from large, fat spiders in fake cobwebs, to a fake corpse dummy leaning against the wall in a chair, and even to coffins with a supposed vampire jumping out and scaring whoever came close enough to it. I made my way across the sea of people, earning a few dirty looks and lustful gazes, which made me want to puke. Then I saw a familiar head.

Over by the snack table was Rin and Miku. Rin wore a white dress with a golden ribbon tied around the waist and into a bow on the back. The dress was a bit frilly at the end, and she had a black silk scarf that rested on her elbow creases. A large white bow was present on her blonde head, and she wore a golden ankle bracelet on her left foot and white flats. Around her neck was a black thread with a music symbol in the middle, acting like the pendant. I vaguely remember Rin telling me that she was one of the main characters from a book she read from the _Synchronicity_ trilogy.

Miku was, apparently, red riding hood. She wore a red cloak over a knee-high white dress and pair of red heels. She clutched a wooden basket as she chatted with two guys. Both Rin and Miku looked uncomfortable, and I felt a spark of anger in my chest. _Back the fuck off if you know what's good for you,_ I silently glowered at the two boys. Rin smiled nervously, said something, and turned to walk away, but one of them grabbed her arm. That's it. I speed-walked over there, shoving anyone in my way out of my way harshly. _Time to hit a bitch._

"He-" I stopped myself before I can say anything else. My voice, if I used it the way it is, sounded way too male to be female. Thankfully, thanks to long nights of practice, I did know how to achieve a more feminine voice to speak with. I cleared my throat, praying to God that I could still use it, although it may sound a little bit too much like Rin's.

"Hey." I said once I reached them. I was honestly surprised at myself. The voice that just uttered those words were smooth and deep, but still enough to sound convincingly female. This was so humiliating. _But it won't be as humiliating when I whoop their asses,_ I thought grimly. "What're you doin'? Why don't you let them be?" One of them eyed me up and down slowly, and the other didn't let go of Rin's arm.

"Yeah? Well, why don't _we_ go somewhere private and then we'll let these two go do whatever, hm?" Ugh. God. Men. Fuck my life.

"Mm, no thanks, not my type. Why don't you two just fuck off, yeah?" I said. That one guy finally let go of Rin's arm and took a step toward me. I stood up taller.

"Yeah? And what're you gonna do about it?" He asked. I just gave him a dark, threatening look that screamed murder and cracked my knuckles.

"Don't test me," I growled. The one that was holding Rin scoffed.

"Oh, please. What can a girl do to-" _Bam!_ My fist connected with his nose without hesitation. He let out a surprised noise and stumbled back, his hands flying to his nose. When he pulled his hands away, they were stained with blood. I glowered at them, standing in front of Rin protectively.

"That was only a sample, you assholes." The one that I didn't hit looked at me with wide eyes, then at the very small crowd of curious people that began to from around us. He looked back at the other guy. He grabbed his forearm and tugged him away.

"Let's go, man. We can pick up better chicks somewhere else," He mumbled as he pulled the other guy away.

"Fucking pussies," I muttered under my breath. Although, in their defense, they were just normal teenagers who probably didn't know how to properly fight. I turned to face a wide-eyed Rin.

"You're alright?" I asked her, my eyes searching the room for my target. The more I stayed here socializing with her, the risk of me being found out was higher. Not only would it ruin my plan, but I'll forever be teased for crossdressing like this. I really, _really_ didn't want that. Rin nodded.

"Yeah, yeah." She said, looking up at me excitement and awe bright in her eyes. "Thanks so much. That was freakin' awesome! I'm Rin. This is Miku." She introduced. I nodded slowly.

"Cool." I ended up saying awkwardly. Miku cocked her head to the side.

"What's your name?" _Shit._

"Len-" I stopped myself abruptly before continuing again. "...ka. Lenka... Smith...erson..." I trailed off, mentally slapping myself. _Idiot!_ I hissed silently at myself, _coming up with a fake name isn't that hard!_ Miku blinked.

"Oh. That's a nice name. It reminds me of a friend of mine. In fact, you kinda look familiar..." Miku said. _Fuck my life_ , _she's onto me,_ I thought, although I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious as to what she thought about me. I mean, she thinks I'm not here, so she can basically say anything. _Maybe I just gotta up my game. Staying a little longer won't hurt anyone_...

Before I can say anything, someone came up behind her and hugged her, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around as she laughed. "Kaito!" She squealed as he spun her around. He was a zombie football player for Halloween. I felt irritation building up in my chest. He's touching her too much. Why is he touching her so much? I coughed loudly.

"Who's this?" I asked. Rin smiled.

"Kaito, one of our friends. Kaito, this is Lenka." She introduced. Kaito looked up, his eyes locking with mine. He shook my hand, smiling warmly.

"It's a pleasure, Ms. Lenka," He said, kissing my hand. I tried my best not to outwardly shudder. _Ugh. Ew. Gross, gross, this is so fucking gay_. _Fuck my fucking unfortunate life._

"...Just call me Lenka." I mumbled. He grinned.

"Will do!" He said happily before skipping away somewhere else. I watched him for a moment, then looked at Miku who was gazing at his retreating back thoughtfully. The irritation build-up, which had stopped when Kaito stopped hugging Miku and swinging her around, went up ever-so slightly.

"So, Miku, is he, like, your boyfriend or...?" Miku jumped, her pale cheeks roughly turning scarlet.

"Wha- no!" She replied. Rin scoffed.

"He might as well be," She muttered, stealing my attention. What did that mean? Did she like him? Did he like her? _Oh hell no. Miku's way out of his league._

"Why do you say that?" I asked Rin. She shrugged.

"Well, I mean, the staring I guess? Plus, Kaito's already pretty chummy with her and stuff." She said as she stuffed a brownie into her mouth. She chewed for a moment, then swallowed before continuing. "But there's another guy." I perked up. _Another_ guy? Jesus, how many people do I have to beat up if they break Miku's heart? _The fuck?_ I asked myself. _Why the hell do I even give a shit? Hmph. The brat's growing on me, isn't she?_

"Mm? Who would that be?" I asked. I didn't even have to fake the curiosity in my voice. Miku's entire face turned scarlet.

"R-Rin!" She whined, throwing her hands up in the air. "I- I do not have this love triangle thing going on! I don't like anyone!" Rin rolled her eyes.

"I find that hard to believe!" She snorted, then grinned slyly. "I think that they both like you!"

"Agh! Shut up, you!" She said, covering her face with her hands before finally turning back to me. "It's nothing, she's just delusional..." She chuckled weakly. I nodded slowly.

"Oh, okay..." I said. She nodded and the red in her face gradually began to fade away.

"...But who's the other guy?" Rin grinned.

"My brother, Len!" She squealed. I flinched in surprise at hearing my name. _I_ was the other guy? Please. I didn't like Miku in that way. In all honesty, she's growing on me, sure, but I don't think of her romantically. I'm just looking out for her. She can do better than Kaito, who only lasts with girls for only a month at its most, and I wouldn't want her getting heartbroken. I also didn't want Kaito to have his heart broken either. I mean, sure, I'd be happy for them if they got together, I guess. Despite the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach at the thought.

"Oh? And why's that?" I said, making sure that I regained my composure before I spoke. Rin giggled.

"Oh, I just have a feeling," She giggled. "When Kaito and Miku first met, he was totally jealous. He kept glaring at Kaito and kept on adverting Miku's attention to him and it was just so-" She squealed. _Shit. She noticed._

"What if this Len is just protective of Miku?" I defended. Rin rolled her eyes.

"That's a thought that crossed my mind too, see, but the thing is that sometimes when Miku isn't looking, he'd sneak glances at her and look at her like she's the greatest thing in the world, or like how an awed person looks at a sunset or at fireworks or some other beautiful sight. His eyes just go so...soft and tender. I've caught him several times, but I never pointed it out. It'd probably be humiliating if Miku... were... to...find out, _dammit_!" She said, slowly turning to look at a flushed Miku. I blinked. _...Do I really look at her that way?_ I thought, somewhat horrified. _Fuck my life._

"He...does?" Miku asked. Rin scratched the back of her neck, chuckling nervously.

"Um..." She started. "Well..." Miku's cheeks were dusted with pink by now, and she looked down and played with the ends of her hair, twirling it around her finger and whatnot.

I couldn't help myself. "...Well, what do _you_ think of this Len person?" I was thankful that nobody would ever know that I was currently doing this. My dignity level was probably deep down in hell at this point. Why I didn't walk away, I didn't know. Ignorance is bliss. Not knowing what someone thought of you was better than knowing, because when you do know, you'll slowly become paranoid and self-conscious around that person and try to change. I'd rather stay in the dark than have the light turned on and be able to see the monsters that were hiding in the shadows. So why was I so curious? Why was I dying to know? Why did I even _care_ of what Miku thought of me? Normally, if it were anyone else, I'd tell them to go fuck themselves and move on with life. But, apparently, not with her.

"Oh, um," She said, looking up, her cheeks still tinted pink. "Well, he's my friend, I guess. I think that, underneath all of his snarkiness and that 'I-hate-everything' and 'I-don't-give-a-shit' thing, he cares a lot, and he shows it through this kind of sassy and tough facade. Like a tsundere from manga or anime. He's mysterious, too. He has this eyepatch that he wears and told us that he has a scar around that area. But he doesn't. His eye's fine. There's no scar around it at all. I saw him sleeping when eyepatch was off." I nearly choked on air.

"You watched m- him sleep and went into his room?!" Miku's face turned scarlet again and she crossed her arms.

"I- Rin and I had to get something from his room, okay? I'm not a stalker or anything."

"Are you the new Edward Cullen or something? What-"

"Don't ask." I decided that I was fine not knowing exactly what the hell they were doing in my room. I made a mental note to lock my door at night from now on. Rin chuckled softly.

"That description was quite kind, Miku dear," Rin giggled. "I bet he'd be pretty flustered to hear that, considering he probably has the hots for you and vice versa.." I resisted the very strong urge to throw my hat down and yell 'I don't fucking like her!' Miku rolled her eyes.

"You know I don't like him like that! And I bet he feels the same."

"Oh really?" Rin snickered. "After what our aunt Luka told him, he blushed and wouldn't even look at you for, like, five whole minutes!" This sparked Miku's curiosity. She turned to Rin.

"Eh? What'd Luka say to him? That idiot refused to tell me." _God dammit. Fuck my life._ She crossed her arms. Rin snickered.

"Of course he refused to tell you!" I felt heat rise up to my cheeks once I realized that Rin was going to tell Miku about what Luka had told me that night. I forced myself not to blush. _Dammit, Kagamine, now's not the time!_ I scolded. _Don't turn into a soft, gooey teenager. You're on a mission._

"So she told Len, and I quote, 'Your cute little girlfriend is a keeper. Don't let her fly away and out of your grasp.'" She grinned, and Miku crossed her arms and turned away, although I could've sworn that I saw that her cheeks were tinted pink.

"Hmph. I get why he was so flustered then, at least." She mumbled. My eyes wandered away from her and to the crowd, and that's when I saw him. The tall, handsome, charming man with messy medium length chocolate brown hair. His creamy skin had not a single blemish on it and he wore a thin-framed pair of glasses. Behind the glasses were very light hazel eyes, and he practically emitted an aura of confidence and grace. It was him. Hiyama Kiyoteru.

 ***loses 99% of followers* Ehehe...sorry, I couldn't help myself...this chapter is probably not the greatest of my works, I'll admit, but it was pretty fun to write.**

 **Times Len has said 'Fuck my life' in this chapter count: 6**

 **As long as there's a Len POV, there will always be a 'Fuck my life' count in the A/N haha. Tbh it's like his catch phrase now.**

 **Oooh, who's Rei? Sharing a body? Whaaaaat? What does Len want with Hiyama? What's the deal with IA? Reviews are hugely, greatly appreciated! ...*whispers desperately* please review.**

 **Until next time, (which will, again, be very soon ehehe) my lovelies~**


	10. Chapter 10

**Len**  
"Excuse me, I have to go." I excused. "It was lovely meeting you both." I didn't even give them time to answer. I pushed through the sea of people, Hiyama never leaving my sight. He went over to the bar area and sat down. Luckily, there was an empty seat next to his. Perfect. I was almost there, when someone stepped in front of me.

"Hey, Lenka!" Came the cheery voice that belonged to Kaito. I forced a smile onto my face as I looked at him. He just _had_ to show up right now. _Dammit,_ I silently cursed. _Fuck my life._

"...Hey." I replied, hoping he'd take a hint and leave. But nope. Kaito was pretty dense.

"Are you enjoying the party?" He asked. _No. I hate this party. I hate nearly everyone here. I hate this music. Jesus, who listens to dubsteb? Ugh. I hate everything. Fuck my life._

"Yep." I replied. He grinned childishly at me, a grin that made most girls melt immediately once directed towards them. It was Kaito's 'I-like-you-so-lets-go-get-coffee-sometime-if-it's-okay-with-you' grin. I think I vomited in my mouth. _Man up, Kagamine, at least he's not trying to kiss you anything._

"You're pretty." He complimented. The thing about Kaito was that he was usually straightforward and just said what was on his mind. And if the girl wasn't into him, he'd leave them be. I silently thanked God that he was a gentleman like that, although somewhere deep down I was so horrified that I felt like flipping a table. I couldn't look that feminine. I mean, sure, maybe 2 years ago because of my huge resemblance to Rin (I _definitely_ know that I looked a bit too much like her 2 years ago) but now? I mean, I must've buffened up, or at least matured, just a bit...

"Er...thanks." I mumbled. He smiled again and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"So, um, I was hoping that we could become friends and maybe go out som-"

"No." My reply came out much harsher than I intended, and I, not that I'd ever admit it, felt a small twinge of guilt when I saw Kaito flinch ever so slightly. "...I mean, you seem nice, but I'm, um...moving next week to England, so I don't really want to disappoint..." Kaito blinked, then chuckled.

"Oh, okay!" He said in his usual 'I'm-that-one-cinnamon-that's-always-happy-no-matter-what' voice. He shook my hand gently. "I see. We can be internet buddies if you'd like! Or not, you know, your choice and all. But, um, here's my number! If you have to talk about something I'll always be there and I'll offer you the best advice I can come up with! I gotta get going, my friends are calling me. Bye, Lenka! It was nice meeting you!" He waved at me eagerly before jogging off to a group of teens calling him over. I watched him for a minute.

Kaito was a nice guy. A little too nice for such a shitty world like this. I was surprised that the selfish, narcissistic, greedy, monsters known as people hadn't taken advantage of his kindness and corrupted him already. It was the nice, good-hearted, sweet beings like Kaito that always got screwed in the end. But I was here, and nobody was going to do that to him on my watch.

Turning, I glanced around for Hiyama until I found him again, drinking something that looked like Coke. The seat next to him was empty. I took a deep breath as I strut over to where he was currently sitting. It was funny, really, how out of all the terrible things I've done, this was the most difficult and the one I was most reluctant to do. I sat down next to Hiyama and shot him the best flirty smile I can do. "Hey..." I drawled, putting my elbow on the table and resting my chin in my palm. I watched as he turned and looked me up and down. _Hiyama's a smart guy. I wonder if he can see through my disguise. If he does, I'm fucked. Unless he's into that kind of thing. Ugh._

He bought it. He smiled back, his hazel eyes twinkling. "Hey, there," He purred, turning so that he was facing me. IA's advice floated through my head ("Smile a lot- no, not like that. God, Len, you look like a psychopath. Even more so than before, I mean. Flirt, like, a lot. You don't know how to flirt? I guess that's to be expected from a cherry boy like you- ow! Be gentle! I'm a delicate flower, you know. Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a twist. Be interested in everything he says, laugh a lot at his jokes, touch him a lot, be seductive- what's with that look, Kagamine? It's not that bad, Hiyama's pretty hot, if I do say so- okay, not making it better. Bat your eyelashes and shit like that. Also, you have a pretty nice ass- oh, quit your blushing, I'm sure _someone's_ already told you- so showing it off and swayin' your hips and stuff like that would be helpful too. And then you seal the deal with a- sheesh, okay, I guess you don't want me to say the 'k' word. Just imply that you want to bang him and take him here. That always gets them. Men. Such savages. Oh, not you, of course, dear.")

"So...you come here often?" As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt like banging my head against the table as hard as possible. _Yeah, Len, he can usually be found at a stranger's house. Great fucking job._

He chuckled. "Certainly not, pretty lady. Say, what's your name? I'd hate to call you 'pretty lady' all night." I forced a giggle.

"Lenka. Lenka Smitherson." He smiled softly and took my hand. He leaned down to kiss it, his eyes never leaving mine. I shuddered inwardly. _Someone put me out of my misery and kill me already._

"Charmed," He simply breathed. "I'm Hiyama Kiyoteru." _Do I have him?_ I thought somewhat uncertainly. _No. It's far too early. I have to get in a little deeper...fuck my life._

"Tell me about yourself, Mr. Kiyoteru." Hiyama chuckled lightly and flashed me yet another charming smile.

"Hiyama would do just fine. I don't look that old, do I?" He joked. I forced myself to laugh. IA told me to laugh at all his jokes, after all.

"Of course not," I giggled, putting my hand hesitantly on his shoulder. _Ew. I'm flirting with trash. I might get his filth on me_. "You look quite...young." He chuckled.

"You're too generous, dear," He said, smirking. "I'm 24 years of age. I grew up in Canada then settled here when I was 18. I've been a bit lonely, so I attended more social events, hoping to find a nice young woman." I grinned at him.

"Any luck?" I asked. He smirked.

"By far? Not really. I hope so, though." He chuckled and brushed a stray strand of hair of my face. Resisting the urge to beat the shit of this guy, I managed to smile, though it most likely looked like a grimace. "Enough about me. What about you, darling?" For a split second, I tensed up and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Me?" I giggled nervously. "Well I grew up in Flordia and came here to...well, my parents came here...for business reasons, and I've stayed ever since then." He leaned in a bit, looking intrigued.

"Oh, really?" He said. "Flordia? What's it like there?"

"Hot." I replied instantly. "Um...mosquitoes...lots of...bugs...and alligators...and stuff..." _As smooth as crunchy peanutbutter. Nice going, Len._

"Oh? I've heard that from a lot of people from Flordia. I visited there once. The oceans are really quite beautiful, wouldn't you agree?" I nodded in agreement, though I never went to Flordia and never ever intend to go to that hellhole of humidity and bloodsucking insects. Seeing a bunch of water, sand, and plants wouldn't be worth it.

"So, Lenka," He said, leaning towards me a bit. "What's a fine lady like you doing at a party like this?" I giggled again. _Fine? I look like a fucking slut in this outfit. I bet this asshole only thinks I'm 'fine' 'cause he wants to get in my pants...dress...whatever._

"Oh, you know," I said, batting my eyelashes like IA had advised me to do. "Just lookin' for some fun and a nice...strong guy..." My flirting skills seriously needed to be worked on. Nice strong guy? Jesus, have mercy.

"Oh, really?" He said, seeming intrigued, a flirtatious smile slowly spreading across his face as he rested his hand on my knee. "And how's that going?" I leaned in a little more, smirking.

"Good, now that you're here," I whispered. I took a moment to examine him. Dilated pupils. The constant, yet well hidden, lust-laced gazes. Invasion of personal space. His filthy-ass hand touching my knee. Pretty sure I got him for sure. "This party's a bit lame. I bet we can go to my place and have a lot more fun..." _I'm not gay. I'm not gay. I'm not gay._

His eyes lit up. "Sounds like a plan." I got up, took out my cell, and texted IA as I pushed through the crowds of people, Hiyama right behind me.

 _Heading your way._ I didn't really expect her to text back, but she did.

 _ **The eagle is landing?**_ I nearly snorted. Nearly.

 _What the fuck?_

 ** _I thought we were gonna use code shit_**

 _Ugh. Why?_

 ** _People do it in spy movies, so..._**

 _God, you..._

 _Whatever, we're coming, so get ready and don't fuck up._

 ** _Roger._** _ **  
**_

* * *

The moment I closed the door and turned around, I was slammed against a wall. _Fuck my life, he found out, didn't he? I knew he wasn't that stu-_

I barely had time to turn my head in time so that Hiyama's lips wouldn't make contact with mine. He ended up kissing my cheek instead. His hands roamed somewhere a little too far down. _OH MY FUCKING JESUS CHRIST WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS HOE DOING WHERE THE FUCK IS IA?!_ I was ready to beat the shit out of him, when as if answering my internal question, there was a loud sound behind Hiyama was heard, and he slumped forward. I shoved him off me and turned to glare at IA.

"What..." I said lowly, "the _hell_ took you so damn long?! Now I'm probably gonna have to melt my face off!" IA shrugged.

"I dunno." She replied simply. "I was watching anime upstairs. Didn't know you were here, haha." I shot her another glare, but she seemed unaffected.

"You..." I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. _Fuck my damned life._ "Just...whatever. You know how to dispose of a body, right?"

"Yep."

"And clean blood off the floors?"

"Mhm. I'm not a rookie at this shit, kid."

"Kid? You're the same age as me, dumbass."

"Actually, I'm older than you by exactly 5 months and 15 days."

"The fuck? It's only five months, not ten years, dumbo."

"Shut up and respect your elders."

"Ugh. Idiot. Just be quiet and help me carry him to the basement, yeah?"

* * *

 **Miku**  
The door opened and slammed shut. I stopped and looked at the door where a tired, irritating Len stood. I raised my eyebrows, snickering softly. His hair, although it was in its usual ponytail, looked different. His hair didn't look messy and wavy like it usually was. Instead, it looked straight.

"Your hair...did you strai-"

"Shut up, Red Riding Hoe." He retorted, shooting me a warning glare.

"Defensive much?" I chuckled. He sighed.

"Long night." He simply said. I raised my eyebrows.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Nope."

"But why? Where were you, anyways? Not doing the frickle frackle with some chick, I hope." He scoffed and crossed his arms before taking a seat next to me on the couch, scowling.

"Ugh. Ew."

"You are attracted to girls, right?" His eyes immediately widened and he turned to give me a weak glare.

"Wha-" He sputtered. "You- I'm not- I-" His cheeks were dusted pink. I gave a small smirk. "I'm- I'm not gay!"

"Oh?" I teased, a grin making its way to my face. "Why're you so defensive? Is that a blush I see?"

"Oh, shut up!" He merely scoffed. "Of course I'm defensive! I'm not letting anyone think that I'm gay when I'm not."

"But what if you are?"

"What if you're half ogre?" He shot back. "Because it seems like you're a real troll..." I chuckled softly, then glanced at him again, noticing that there was something off. I reached over and wiped my thumb on his cheek. He jumped, started. He slapped my hand away.

"What the fu-"

"...Is this blush?" I asked him, snickering. He shot me another glare.

"No!" He said. "It's not! Why would I-"

"I dunno, you tell me." I said grinning. "Crossdressing, maybe?" He flinched and shuddered.

"...Shut up." I giggled. Managing to tease Len like this was rare, but when it did come through, it was always worth it. Seeing him defensive and flustered, even if it was just the bare minimum, was always a sight to see. Out of nowhere, it seemed, Rin's words from the party earlier floated through my head. _Sometimes when Miku isn't looking, he'd sneak glances at her and look at her like she's the greatest thing in the world, or like how an awed person looks at a sunset or at fireworks or some other beautiful sight._

My laughing died off as I contemplated the words that she had spoken earlier. Surely, Rin must have been joking around. I found it hard to believe that _Len,_ the guy who bickers with me almost daily and hurls various insults at me, and I, back at him, would ever look at me like that. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him smile, not fully at least. Or laugh, for that matter. A few snickers, sure, but never an actual _laugh._ I was interrupted from my thoughts when Rin shuffled into the room, a cookie stuffed into her mouth.

Her eyes swept around the room for a moment, and when she caught sight of Len, she brightened up and she tried to eagerly say something but ended up choking on the cookie instead. I immediately got up and patted her back. I sighed as she broke out in a fit of coughs. "Don't do that with your mouth full!" I scolded. She rolled her eyes, wiping crumbs away from her mouth.

"Okay, mom," She grumbled playfully. She turned to Len again and a devilish grin made its way to her face. She just stared at him. Len raised his eyebrows.

"Hi?" He tried. Rin giggled. He blinked. "...The fuck's wrong with you?"

"So, where were you last night? A _party,_ maybe?" She asked. For a split second, there was horror and panic in Len's eye, but as quickly as it came, it was extinguished.

"Um. No." He scoffed. "Why would I go to a party? I hate parties. It's basically a place full of loud music and food and flashing lights everywhere. Plus, there are too many idiots in one room to handle."

Rin tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Oh, okay. We met this really cool girl at the party. Hm, what was her name?" She looked at Len from the corner of her eye. "Lenku? Lunka? Ah...oh yes, _Lenka_. She was really _pretty_ and _girly-looking_." Len flinched, then crossed his arms.

"That's...nice," He said. He stood up from the couch and made his way to the staircase. "I'm gonna go to bed, now..."

"Oh, Len~" Rin called as he was going up.

"What?"

"Aren't you gonna bid us a goodnight?" She sang. Len didn't stop.

"Fuck you both," He called back, his statement immediately followed my a slamming door.

* * *

I yawned as I opened the bathroom door and walked out, rubbing my eyes as I walked back to Rin's room, my feet slapping lightly against the hardwood floor. Opening the door to her room, blinking blearily, I was greeted by darkness, though I could still make out a bed and a figure under the messy sheets. Closing the door silently behind me so I wouldn't wake her, I shuffled toward the bed and threw myself on it with a sigh. I pulled the covers from Rin, who pulled them back immediately with a small groan of protest. I pulled them back forcefully, bringing the covers up to cover my cold nose.

But then I realized that something wasn't right. It just didn't... _feel_ right. I just noticed that I didn't feel the carpet under my feet when I neared the bed, or how the sheets smelled faintly of cinnamon and apples. It was then that my half-asleep mind came to a conclusion; this wasn't my room, and the person next to me _wasn't Rin_. My eyes snapped open immediately and I turned around immediately to find that I was, unfortunately, correct. It wasn't Rin's room. It was _Len's_.

He was laying next to me, on his side so all I could see was the back of his blonde head. _Oh shit, I fucked up, I fucked up._ I thought. Len moved, and I froze. He turned so that he was laying on his back. I didn't know why I was surprised when his eyepatch was off. Last time I saw him asleep, it was off, too. Perhaps the smooth, normal-looking skin around his normally covered eye still shocked me. _Move slow, Miku. Slow and careful..._

I began to sit up, ever so slowly, when he turned again so that he was facing me. Again, I froze, then I noticed that he didn't look like he was having a pleasant dream. His lips were parted and his breaths were coming in deep, ragged huffs, a look close to distress on his face. I've never seen him this vulnerable or...scared looking. I paused, wondering if I should wake him up or not. It looked like he was having a nightmare.

But then what would he say if he woke up? What explanation would I give him for being in his room? My hand was hovering over his shoulder uncertainly when he grabbed it. I let out a shocked squeak, fear making it's presence known in my gut. _Shit, shit, he's awake!_

But his eyes were still closed. I waited for a moment, waiting for them to open suddenly and stare at me in shock, but it didn't come. Instead, he interlocked his fingers with mine, seemingly unconscious. _Huh...? Is he...holding my hand?_

I'd be lying if I said that this gesture didn't shock me, even if he _was_ asleep. Len was the type of guy who never showed weakness, yet here he was, clinging to my hand desperately, a look similar to hopelessness and despair on his face. I paused, then finally grasped his hand back. I'd never get another opportunity like this ever again, and he was asleep, so why the hell not?

However, sleeping Len once again caught me by surprise when I felt myself being tugged down and pulled into his chest. "Wha-" I started, but was immediately cut off when I landed into his chest face first. He smelled vaguely of cinnamon and apples- like his bedsheets. I was in the middle of sputtering confused and incomprehensible words when he mumbled something (most likely in his sleep) that shut me right up, making the words in my throat shrivel up and die.

"Don't leave me."

The sleepy, yet somewhat pleading mumble that escaped his lips shocked me into silence. _Leave...him?_ I thought. I felt his arm around me tighten slightly, bringing me a tad closer to him. _Is he...afraid of being left all alone?_ I paused, then looked up at him.

His breathing was much calmer than before, and his face gradually turned from hopelessness to relaxed. It looked like his nightmare went away. He mumbled it again.

"Please don't leave me..." Hesitantly, I snuggled a little closer to him and brushed a stray lock of blonde hair out of his face and wrapped my tiny arms around his waist. It was a bit awkward doing this, and no telling how Len would react in the morning, but it still felt comfortable nonetheless. Burying my face in his chest and taking a deep breath, I muttered something that I thought would be reassuring or even comforting, though he was asleep and most likely wouldn't know that any of this happened.

"Don't worry, idiot. I'm not leaving any time soon."

* * *

 **So, I wanted to end the chapter here, with this cute little scene, then I decided to add what happens when Len wakes up. So hope you enjoy the added part!** **  
**

* * *

"What the actual _fuck_?!" That was the first thing I heard. I opened my eyes and blinked blearily. The second thing I heard was a loud stream of curses followed my a loud thump, which was _also_ followed by a weak "Fuck my life..." I noticed that the spot next to me was empty, and that I felt cold. Throughout the night, it was Len's body heat that really kept me warm on this cold, winter night. I peered over the bed and, through the thick blanket of darkness, I managed to make out Len on the floor. I turned on a lamp beside his bed, and he hissed and covered his face with his arms. I rolled my eyes.

"What, are you a vampire now?" I scoffed. Len, with his hand covering his left eye, (unfortunately) shot me a glare. Grabbing his eye patch from the bedside table and sloppily putting it over his eye, he threw his hands up exasperatedly.

"The hell are you doing in my room?!" He hissed. I chuckled weakly and rubbed the back of my neck weakly.

"Well, you see, I was going to the bathroom to tinkle and when I got out it was really dark, and I may have accidentally walked into your room instead of Rin's..." He rolled his eye.

"Why the hell didn't you leave?" He questioned, crossing his arms.

"Because you asked me not to." I blurted out. He tilted his head and narrowed his eye at me, frowning. "I-I mean..." I scrambled for an excuse. "...I mean, you kind of started cuddling with me, so I...couldn't go." He let out a small "humph" and looked away.

"You could've just woke me up and told me to stop if you were uncomfortable," He mumbled. I rolled my eyes.

"That's like poking- no, more like _stabbing_ \- a huge, aggressive, grumpy bear while it sleeps!" I excused. I could've woken him up or tried to roll out of his grasp, but I didn't really _want_ to. He was a great pillow and heat source.

"Wha- I am not!" He protested.

"Uh. Yeah, you are."

"No way!"

"Yes, way."

"...Really?"

"Yep."

"Hm. I could use that to my advantage one day," He muttered the last part under his breath. I saw him turn his head so that he was peering at me from the corner of his eye. "Why're you still here?" I shrugged.

"I dunno. Rin's probably sprawled across the whole bed."

"Then move her."

"But I don't wanna wake her up. And she's heavy."

"Ugh. Whatever. I doubt Rin's taking up the whole bed. She's such a midget it's hard to believe that she can take up so much room." He scoffed. I rolled my eyes.

"You wanna bet?" I grumbled. He shot me a challenging look.

"Sure." He said. "Because I'll definitely win. There has to be at least some room for you- Rin's not _that_ much of a fatass."

"So you're saying that she's fat anyways?"

"Of course. Humans need fat to store energy. So, technically, everyone's fat."

"...Smartass." I mumbled as I swung my legs out of the bed. I shuffled down the hall, then opened the door to Rin's room and peered inside. I blinked repeatedly until I could make out Rin's form on the bed. Of course, I was correct. Rin was sprawled across the bed, her arms and legs in every direction. The neon orange sheets were kicked off and sat at the very edge of the bed. Even from here, I could hear Rin's soft snores.

"...Well, I'll be damned." Len muttered behind me. "She actually..." He sighed. I stole a glance at Rin's window, and though the curtains were drawn, I managed to see a tiny sliver of the outside world. It was still dark- it was probably somewhere around 2 a.m. I closed the door gently and turned around to give Len a smug 'I told you so', but I was instead greeted by air instead of a human being. Frowning, I walked down the hall and peeped into his room before entering.

"Told you so." I said. I didn't know what it was, but proving someone wrong and gloating about it was always fun. He grabbed a blanket off the bed and one of the decorative pillows and shot me a look.

"Yeah, yeah," He mumbled. "Good for you, Hatsune." I raised my eyebrows as I watched him settle on the floor.

"Are you gonna sleep on the floor? Why?" I asked. He rolled his eye.

"No, Miku, I'm just settling here on the cold, hard floor with a blanket and pillow for the fun of it." He said sarcastically. "You're too much of a wimp to move Rin, and you obviously can't sleep in there. I'd make you sleep on the floor and claim the bed, but I'd never hear the end of it if I did."

"You don't have to-"

"Shut up and accept it." He told me simply as he fluffed up his pillow, pausing to look at me. "You gonna stand there all night starin' at me or what?" I blinked, then closed the door behind me and shuffled toward the bed before sitting down on it and swinging my legs over and covering myself with the covers. It was quiet for a moment.

"...You sure you don't wanna sleep in the bed? I don't mind. I can sleep on the floor or something." I offered. I could practically hear Len rolling his eyes.

"No, it's fine. The bed's a bit small for two people." He grumbled. "...The things I do for you, Hatsune." He mumbled the last part under his breath. I grinned. _Did he really just say that?_

"What was that?" I chirped.

"Nothing, nothing," He grumbled. "Just silently cursing stupid Rin and her sleeping habits." It was silent again. I shivered under the blankets. It was still quite cold, and I had 3blankets covering me. I could only imagine how cold Len must be.

"...It's cold." I ended up saying. He snorted.

"You don't say!"

"You need another blanket?" I asked, ignoring his earlier remark.

"No, no. 'M fine." He denied. I narrowed my eyes slightly. Stupid, considerate piece of shit. I could tell he was cold. He only had one blanket and, again, he was sleeping on the cold, hard floor. Peeling one of the top blankets away from the bed, I rolled to the other end of the bed where he was, his back turned toward me, and threw the blanket on top of him.

"There. Take it, you piece of shit, and accept my concern." I grumbled. I waited for a reply, but received none. I watched him for a minute, then eventually decided that he was asleep. I turned so I was on my back and stared up at the blank, white ceiling. Rin's words popping suddenly into my head for what seemed like the hundredth time tonight. _Sometimes when Miku isn't looking, he'd sneak glances at her and look at her like she's the greatest thing in the world, or like how an awed person looks at a sunset or at fireworks or some other beautiful sight._ Whenever those words popped into my head, the first thing I thought was, _No way. Rin must be lying. I doubt that he could care about me_ that _much!_ But as I lay there, stealing a glance at a sleeping Len on the floor with the ghost of a smile on my lips and my heart suddenly overflowing with warmth and affection, I thought,

 _I must be one lucky girl to have someone like him look at me like that._

* * *

 **Ah, the LenKu. LenKu, LenKu everywhere. I felt like this story just needed more LenKu moments and a bit of Len showing a tiny bit of weakness. Writing Len getting hit on was also a bunch of fun, haha. Sooo, Rin knows that Len was Lenka? Looks like Len can kiss his pride goodbye. So, as usual, tell me what you thought of this chapter! Comments are seriously, SERIOUSLY, incredibly appreciated and make my day.**

 **'Fuck my life' count: 6**


	11. Chapter 11

**Miku**  
"Len~" Len turned around and side stepped just in time. Had he been a second later, he would've been tackle hugged by a strange white-blonde haired girl. "C'mere, you sweet potato, you!" She gushed as she turned around again, her arms extended and a happy expression on her face as she chased Len around.

"I'm not sweet, nor a potato!" He snapped back. I watched, slightly confused, as I took in the scene before me, my attention mainly focused on the pretty blonde stranger. _How does she know Len?_ I thought. The girl took a large, wide leap and tackled Len to the ground. He let out a surprised noise. "You lil' bitch, why...are you...ugh...fuck my life."

Rin raised her eyebrows, and Kaito, who had walked over here due to all the commotion, gasped. "Is this a 'Hug Len' thing?! I want in!" Len, who was underneath the mystery girl (Who gave her permission to straddle his waist and touch him that much?!) shot Kaito a terrifying glare.

"Don't. You. Fucking. Dare." He warned. "I will break every bone in your fucking body if you try to hug me." Kaito immediately backed off and Len tried to shove the girl off with no progress.

"The hell are you doing here? Why are you even touching me? Get the hell off, you idiot!" The girl pouted and crossed her arms, but complied anyways. Len got up and dusted himself off. I eyed the girl suspiciously. She was pretty. And I didn't know her. I silently did the math. Pretty stranger plus lots of affectionate hugging/touching plus teenage boy with probably raging hormones equals... _romance_. _Oh hell fucking no._

"Ugh. Why're you here?" He asked her. The girl grinned.

"Why, I go to school here, of course!" She sang. "And it's not nice to greet your friends like that!" Len scoffed.

"You're not my friend. I barely even know you." _Yeah. You tell her._

"Aw, come on! We spent nearly a whole night together!" My jaw dropped. So I was right! _Son of a bitch slept with her?! I swear to God, I'm gonna beat the shit out of him later..._

"You- You _did_ do the frickle frackle! I...I was right?!" I gasped, and Len gave me a sharp, horrified look while Rin broke into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

"No- It wasn't like that-"

"-I wouldn't be too upset about it if that _was_ the case. I'd definitely tap that." She grinned and winked at him and Len buried his face in his hands with a groan. I narrowed my eyes slightly at her. How can she say that so bluntly? _Don't tell me she's fucking serious._

"God, you're so..." He made another frustrated noise. "Just...why are you talking to me?" IA looked like she was about to say something, but Kaito beat her to it.

"...What did you guys... _do_...that took nearly a whole night?" Kaito asked, grinning suggestively. Len slowly looked up and gave him a creepily blank stare.

"...What are you thinking?" He asked, slowly. Kaito shrugged.

"I dunno. Maybe you guys were playing a long game-"

"Good. You're a lot more innocent than I thou-"

"-Or the dirty deed."

"Nevermind." He sighed. "Before all you idiots assume things-"

"Hey!" I protested."I'm not an idiot! _You're_ an idiot!" He rolled his eye and crossed his arms.

"You're right." He said. "You're not an idiot." I blinked, a tad shocked at this.

"Why, thank you-"

"You're a _mega_ idiot." And there it is.

"Nuh-uh!" I protested, most likely starting a childish argument. And I was correct. For a while, we had a childish banter before Rin finally interrupted.

"Who's she?" She asked, nodding toward her. The girl smiled and gave a small wave.

"M'name's IA." She said, simply. Rin blinked, her face concentrated on something before she finally snapped her fingers, realization on her face.

"You're in my Science class!" She announced. "I knew you looked familiar..." She muttered. IA just chuckled softly then redirected her attention to Len, who was looking away, staring off into space, his eye slightly narrowed and a thoughtful expression resting on his face.

"Hey, hey, hey, Len." She said, poking his cheek. He slapped her hand away.

"What?" He said. She had an unknown twinkle in her eye, and Len seemed to understand it. He turned his full attention to her, his demeanor suddenly serious.

"Come to my place after school." IA said. "I have a _package_ for you." Len paused, seemingly registering this. I watched the exchange quietly. He raised his eyebrows, and IA nodded slightly.

"Alright. Should I _wash up_ before I go?" IA shook her head. _What the...is that code or are they just naturally this weird?_ I thought. _No matter. I don't need or want to know what they're talking about anyways._ Icrossed my arms, a sour and bitter feeling in my chest, along with a slightly familiar emotion that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

 _ **Len**_  
"I don't think she's home, Len." Miku muttered, glancing at the blonde beside her. "She's not answering and it's been nearly five minutes." It was after school, and she and Len had gone down to IA's to pick up his 'package'. Rin didn't want to go, saying that she'd rather go home than come with Len to pick something like a package up. Len just assumed that Miku came because she was curious as to what the package was. IA had told him, in their little code conversation, that Miku and the others were free to come along. He was a bit curious, too.

"She's probably just watching anime upstairs again. She did that once and was late to answer." An unwanted memory of him and Hiyama popped into his head and he cringed. _Ugh. Ew. Fuck my life._ He sourly thought, though he felt a small twinge of satisfaction. _No matter. I got a tad bit of information on Project Rebirth and managed to do the world a favor and wipe out that scumbag._

"Well, still. Maybe we should just come back later-" Len rolled his eyes and cut her off with a scoff. He could've went home and stuffed his face with donuts or he could've taken a much needed nap, but nope. He came here instead, to pick up whatever the hell IA got for him. He _was_ getting in that house.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Hatsune." He muttered, reaching up and pulling a bobby pin out of his hair. He began to pick the lock while a baffled Miku watched him.

"What- my panties have nothing to do with this!" She snapped. "You know how to pick a lock? Actually, we shouldn't be doing this. Breaking and entering, you know. Also, you keep a bobby pin in your hair?" Len rolled his eyes at the tealette's questions.

"Yep. It's like a life skill to me now." For a minute, an image of him picking the lock and entering his target's house filled his mind, but he quickly pushed that away. He didn't want to remember those moments. "And yes, I do. For emergencies like these." Miku scoffed slightly as he pushed the door open.

"You're a strange one, Kagamine." She mumbled. "Surprised I never saw the bobby pins, though..." The lights were all off, making the room look dark. Len groped the wall for a light switch and when he finally found it he flipped it on and light flooded through the room. The clean, tidy room Len had seen last time he visited was unrecognizable.

The coffee table was flipped on its side and a cup was on the floor, too, with its contents (Len decided that it was coffee) spilling from it and onto the floor. Papers and textbooks also littered the hardwood floor. Two game controllers (Len wasn't sure, but he thought it was an Xbox controller. His knowledge on games and such were very limited, as he'd much rather read than play video games) lay on the floor. Clothes, mostly jeans, skirts, cardigans, blouses, leggings, T-shirts, stockings, and tank-tops were thrown all over the place and shoes were scattered from the door to the TV. The bookcase, which was chock full of books when he saw it, had fallen and books littered the floor around it. A painting of the ocean had a knife sticking out of it and a broken vase lay on the floor. Signs of struggle. _...A fight?_ Len thought as he studied the room. _This doesn't look good. Damn it, I shouldn't have let Miku come... fuck my life._

He turned to glance at her from the side of his eye. She was looking around, her eyes wide with puzzlement and even a little fear. _She really shouldn't be here. I can send her home- no. Too dangerous. The enemy could be waiting outside. I can't let her go off alone._ He reached inside his bag, unsheathed his dagger, and pulled it out slowly. "Let me go ahead. Stay close." He muttered quietly. "Don't leave me." Len saw Miku tense for a moment, shock and remembrance evident on her face "Got it?" She quickly regained her composure and nodded. Len raised his eyebrows slightly; what was that look on her face? He wondered if it was something he said, but quickly decided that it wasn't worth dwelling on. _She's a girl. Girls are crazy and weird. It's probably nothing._

He was only about five steps into the room when his senses were on red alert. "Get back!" He yelled, shoving the startled tealette away harshly just in time as a figure jumped down, swinging their knife toward his face. He reacted quickly by deflecting the blow with his own dagger. The person jumped back immediately and pounced toward him again as quickly as they jumped back. The mystery person wore a baggy black sweatshirt with the hood up, skinny jeans, black boots, and a black bandanna that covered the lower half of their face. The Kagamine was too distracted (the only thing on his mind was ' _protect Miku_ ', ' _why the fuck is he wearing a bandanna, this isn't the wild west_ ', and ' _don't fucking die_ ') to notice the glimpses of white blonde hair escaping from the person's hood. He dodged the attack by stepping to the side. He turned around quickly and barely had time to duck a swift kick to his head. Aiming to slash the person's throat with his dagger, the attack was deflected by their own knife. Len grabbed the person's arm, getting ready to cleanly break it, but stopped himself from doing so when he noticed a pair of familiar blue eyes staring back at him. Instead, he quickly improvised and settled for harshly slamming their wrist against the table with as much force he could muster without breaking their wrist.

 _Wait a minute._ He thought. The person let go of the knife and Len kicked it aside. However, as he was doing so, the person twisted out of his grasp and punched him square in the face with their other hand. _Wait, wait, wait a fucking minute. Back the fucking truck up. Is that...?_ The person jumped up and spun around, their left leg extended as they tried to kick him in the face yet again as he ducked. He leaped forward and grabbed their shoulders and slammed them against a wall and pressed his forearm against their throat. They didn't struggle as he pulled the hood off to reveal a head of messy white blonde hair, confirming his suspicion. He sighed agitatedly as he pulled the bandanna down, too, to reveal the grinning face of IA.

"Sharp, Kagamine!" She chirped as he let her go. He scoffed. _It was her all along? Fuck my life._

"God, you're such a fucking _moron!_ I brought someone here, you know!" He snapped, turning to glance at Miku, who was staring at them, shocked, a cellphone in her hand.

"Mm, I know. Thought it'd 'wow' your girlfriend when she sees your crazy ninja moves." Len shot her a withering glare, although it didn't seem to affect the girl too much.

"She's not-"

"Keep telling yourself that!" She sang, adding to Len's frustration.

"Seriously, why does everyone think this?!" He complained. He acted normally around her, and she did the same. A terrifying thought crossed his mind. What if Rin wasn't bluffing? What if he really _did_ look at Miku like how she'd described? As soon as he processed it, he had to hold in a laugh. _Ha! No fucking way that's true. A horrible monster like me isn't capable of looking at anyone like that._

 _Oh, really~_ A voice sang. Len scowled.

 _Fuck off, you Italian asshole._ He inwardly grumbled. Rei pretended not to hear him.

 _You constantly tell yourself you're a monster and it's irritating me, you self-loathing piece of shit. Newsflash, Mr. Boy Toy- I'm the monster. Not you. You're just containing the monster. For example, Rosemary was pregnant with a demon child, the spawn of Satan. Does that make her a monster, although she is carrying one? No. It doesn't. The situation here is pretty much the same, only you're not preggers and you're a hot teenage guy._ Len chose to ignore that last part.

 _The things I've done is enough to make me one._ He replied grimly. Not giving Rei any time to reply, he once again shoved him into the back of his mind. He shouldn't be talking to him at all.

"Well, considering that you glare at every guy that does so much as look her-"

"What the- I do not!" He denied immediately. IA rolled her eyes.

"Yes, you do." She scoffed. "You're so protective of her it's almost romantic. It's quite comical, seeing that cold, hard expression on your face as you shoot them a terrifying glare that would even make the devil himself cower. Oh ho, and their faces! It's hilarious! They all look so terrified and panicked and I just-" She burst into a fit of giggles, banging her fist on a table as she doubled over, her shoulders violently shaking with laughter. Len, however, was unamused. He didn't do that. _Well...there was that one senior, but he was obviously trying to hook up with Miku and take advantage of her...and that freshman...and those two sophomores...and those group of juniors..._

"What..." Miku finally squeaked. "Why did...you two...t-the fight...why...?" IA simply smiled.

"Oh, I just wanted to see how well Lenny boy here can fight!" She slung an arm around his shoulder and he scoffed and shrugged it off. He hated that name- Lenny boy. It sounded so... _stupid_.

Len sighed and looked around the room. "Don't fucking tell me you made the room look like this on purpose and wait for us in the dark." IA shrugged sheepishly.

"Well..." She laughed nervously. "I _did_ wait for you guys in the dark for a bit, but this whole thing-" She gestured toward the room, "-wasn't planned. Yeah, I did cause it, but that was because there was a-" She froze and Len raised his eyebrows. It was in the moment he felt something land on his shoulder. He slowly looked down. _What the..._

IA let out a screech and did a series of flips and rolls to the other side of the room and hid behind Miku, although IA was taller than her by about two inches or so. Meanwhile, Len nearly let out a very un-manly scream at the sight of the huge hornet resting on his shoulder, but, luckily for his still-recovering pride, managed to hold it in and instead replaced it with a loud, "What the everloving fuck?!" as he slapped at his shoulder. The hornet flew off, toward his head this time, and Len ducked, running around as he let out a stream of unholy curses, followed by a "Fuck my life!" Had it been two years ago, he probably would've been a lot calmer about it. His heart wouldn't be racing so fast that he was actually worried about having a heart attack and he wouldn't have the feeling of wanting to lock himself in his room and curl up into a ball and re-evaluate his life, but because of a certain traumatic, very unpleasant experience regarding bees that happened to him within the two years, anything relating to them in the slightest terrified him.

The house was filled with loud yells and curses from Len and screaming from the girls. The hornet settled on a wall, and IA wasted no time grabbing the knife sticking out of the painting and hurling it across the room. It would've hit its target if it didn't fly away as soon as she threw it. Finally having enough of it, Len grabbed a see-through plastic cup and slammed it down on the hornet, successfully trapping it. He watched as it frantically flew around, hitting the barrier that separated it from them. The Kagamine was a little out of breath, and although the hornet was trapped, his heart was still racing.

"Problem...solved."

* * *

 _ ****_After they finally disposed of the hornet, they decided to just sit for a bit and talk. "So...you two aren't dating, right?" Miku asked hesitantly. Len scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"At this point, I'm 99% sure I'm asexual." Of course, that was a lie. He's found himself thinking unholy thoughts more than a few times, much to his embarrassment and horror.

"Oh, no. Don't worry, Miku dear. I won't steal your man away." She winked at the flushed tealette.

"Um." Miku ended up saying. IA opened her mouth to continue, but Len cut her off before she could.

"Damn it, not this again." He groaned. "No, IA, _no_. It is _not_ like that-"

"Aw, come on!" She whined. "There's something there, I know it!" Len scoffed and rolled his eyes. _She craves for romance and drama far too much. It's probably making her hallucinate and see things between us that aren't there._

"You've only known me for a day, though." Miku said bluntly. IA shrugged.

"I can just feel it. Besides, did I mention that Len just wouldn't _shut up_ about y-" The Kagamine tensed and slapped his hand over IA's mouth. Although it was true that he _may_ have talked about her to IA, Miku _seriously_ didn't need to know that. Especially since he _may have been_ , just a little bit, bitching about her and Kaito. Kaito's displays of affection bothered him a little more than necessary was all. Nothing else.

"Yams." He blurted out. It was the first thing that started with 'y' and came to his mind. "I kept on talking about yams because they're so- what the fuck? Did you just _lick_ my hand?!" There was a muffled 'mmhm' from IA and he shuddered. Even so, Len _refused_ to take his hand off her mouth. It'd be over his fucking dead body that he'd let IA tell Miku that he was talking about her and Kaito.

He cringed. "Stop that!" He hissed. IA just shot him a smug look and he grit his teeth. _No, Kagamine. Don't succumb, don't you fucking dare, you little pussy-ass bitch, don't you fucking dare-_

He withdrew his hand as soon as he felt IA lightly biting it with a yelp and wiped it on his jeans. "Oh my fucking god, gross!" He shuddered. IA simply gave him a cheeky grin. _Fuck my life_.

"Shoulda moved your hand, Lenny boy..." She chirped before turning back to Miku. "Now, where was I-"

"Hey, didn't I have a package to pick up?" Len said, loudly. He silently prayed that she'd forget about the whole issue. She paused, then grinned.

"Oh yeah, huh!" She chuckled. "Nearly forgot 'bout that!" She stood up, and Len began to stand, too, but she shoved him back down onto the couch. "Stay here, I gotta get something." She ordered. "Socialize with your not-girlfriend." With that, she left, walking out of the room quickly. Len awkwardly turned back around to Miku. It was silent for a moment before Miku apparently decided to break it.

"So what was-"

"No." She narrowed her eyes at the blonde, and he glared right back, crossing his arms.

"This is just like that one time after Luka left..." She grumbled. Len rolled his eyes and looked out the window. For him, it was a bit hard to look at her knowing that she knew what his aunt had told him.

"Mhm." He settled with. Miku narrowed her eyes at him and leaned towards him, enough so that she was touching his arm. _Why is she touching me? Why is she so close? What the fuck?_

"Is that a blush I see, Kagamine?" She asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Len scoffed.

"No! You're seeing things!" He excused. Miku rolled her eyes as scooted closer to him.

"Mmhm." She said skeptically, leaning on his arm. _Um. Um. Um. What's happening?_ The blonde thought. _Why is she leaning against me? There's the couch for that. Should I push her off?_ He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Her legs were curled up on the couch, positioned so that the bottom of her feet rested against the side of the couch's armrest and her head rested in the edge of his shoulder. Though he'd rather die than admit it, his heart felt warmer than before and, as most would say, "skipped a beat." Her gaze immediately drifted to him, and he snapped his attention back to the blank TV screen. _Hmph... Don't tell me that this feeling is affection or fondness...ugh. I hate this feeling. It feels too fuzzy and warm._ He thought, risking another peek at the teallete besides him. _Stupid leek freak. Stop being so cute, will you?_ Don't mistake what he meant by "cute"; he simply meant it like how someone would look at an excited puppy or small, fluffy kitten. That was all.

"Heeeeeey! I'm back! Hope you're not busy makin' babies." IA's voice rang out, ruining the quiet, blissful, peaceful moment. Miku immediately sat up straighter and changed positions so she no longer leaned on Len. Len scoffed lightly.

"Ah, shut it." He grumbled as IA came into the room.

"Aye, Miks." She said. Miku raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth to say something, but IA cut her off. "Think fast!" As she was saying "fast" she threw an object toward Miku. Miku let out a squeak of surprise at the fast, sudden action and brought her hands up to attempt to catch it. Len grabbed the object in midair just as it was about to hit her cheek. He rolled his eyes as he opened his hand and presented the object, a key, to Miku.

"God, I knew you were terrible at sports, but I didn't know you couldn't even _catch_ something being tossed your way!" He scoffed. Miku took the key from his hand and glared at him.

"Shut up! I was surprised, okay?" She excused. Len rolled his eyes again but said nothing as IA tossed him a key, too. He caught it and examined it. It was nothing special. Just a simple-looking key. He raised his eyebrows.

"Oh? What's this?" He asked. IA shrugged.

"One of the keys to my house." She simply said. Miku's eyes widened, and she looked up at IA like she was a crazy person. _Oh, wait._ Len thought as he stared at her in disbelief. _She is._

"Wha- but you barely know me!" Miku said. IA rolled her eyes.

"I know, but you seem like a good person. I have a lot of spare keys, if you're wondering." She said.

"Why'd you give them to us?" Len asked. IA gave him a side glance, a strange seriousness in her eyes. Although Len only knew IA for a little while, it was strange to see the goofy, idiotic, happy girl serious and solemn looking.

"In case something happens." She simply said. Miku and Len were quiet at this. For Len, it was more of a grim silence. He knew IA's backstory and earlier involvement with Blackport. She was born there, her mother being one of the prisoners at Blackport. When she was only one, her mother died after giving birth to IA's brother, IO. Being one of the survivalists and children full of promise at Blackport, she was forced to do their dirty work in order to keep her brother safe. At the age of 10, IA already knew how to fight and kill and planned an escape with IO. It was almost completely successful. As they fled, IO was shot and killed and only IA made it out. Len had asked how she knew Gumi, but IA simply said that it was a story for another time. Len wasn't _completely_ stupid and took the hint and left it at that. Len figured that it was only a matter of time until they tried to track her down.

"But that probably won't happen. As long as you don't come waltzin' in here and begin eating all of my poptarts and stealing shit, you're free to come any time! Anyways, c'mon, Len. The package is upstairs. You-" She pointed at Miku. "-stay here. Watch TV, get something to eat, I don't really care. Mi casa, su casa. Knock yourself out." She led Len upstairs and opened a door to a room. She beckoned Len inside and closed the door once he was inside. The room was a simple bedroom with a twin-sized bed in the corner with baby blue sheets and creamy white walls. The room was nearly completely bare, the only things in the room being the bed and a small dresser.

"Thought you said it was okay for her to come." Len said, raising his eyebrows as IA locked the door. IA shrugged.

"I wanted to meet her and stuff, okay?" She admitted. "She seems nice. And she seems like the perfect match for you. Don't think I didn't see that cute little cuddle fest back there." She grinned and Len internally groaned. _Damn it. I thought she couldn't see it. Fuck my life._ He sighed.

"Just...whatever. What is it that's so important?" He asked. IA snapped her fingers and grinned at him.

"You'll like this, I'm sure," She said as she made her way to the closet. "I mean, it's a little dangerous, I guess, but I think you have what it takes to handle it." She opened the closet door and crawled inside. There was lots of shuffling and light grunting from inside the closet, but after about a minute, IA finally poked her head out. She grinned.

"Ready?" She said. Len rolled his eyes.

"I've been waiting for you to show me whatever the hell it is you wanted to show me for, like, seven hours. Of course I'm fucking ready. If I wasn't, I'd probably leave and go home and eat pancakes or some shit. I'm starving, so this better be worth it." IA chuckled.

"Ah, there it is. There's the Len-ish type of comment! I've been waiting for that all day, you know." She mused as she dove back into the closet. "You know, when I first found this, I thought, 'I sure as hell don't want this, but maybe Len will! He's a weird guy so he may like this shit.'" Len sighed.

"I swear to God, if you pull out some My Little Pony merchandise and tell me _that's_ what you've been wanting to give me, I will fucking kill you then eat all your food." IA gasped.

"No way!" She said. "I fucking love My Little Pony! That shit's bomb, you know. No, no, that's not it. It's...this!" IA crawled out of the closet and, without further ado, pulled out her little present to him.

 **Ahahaha help me. Science class is killing me oh my God my head hurts. So much math and projects and grades are coming out soon and just kill me now.**

 **Ooh, is that a jealous Miku in the beginning? Oh snap haha. Aw, looks like Len is warming up to her 3 How cute. Looks like IA is becoming more of a significant character here, yay! Also, there's not much of Rin and Kaito, so I apologize for that.**

 **Reviews are greatly, hugely appreciated! Reviews= needy author's fuel. Anyways, hope y'all have a good Valentine's day! Tbh I'll probably be here, either writing or watching anime or a Korean drama. Livin' the romance life.**

 **Fuck my Life count: 5**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Len**_  
"Holy..." Len muttered, trailing off as he stared at the sword IA held. "Holy...shit..." Len was rarely awed or amazed at something so much that his mind went completely blank. The single-bladed sword was strange, to say the least. The blade was pure black, seemingly made of obsidian, but the very bottom and top of the blade were blood red, but they didn't reach the middle and instead seemed to extinguish itself not far from their roots. From the edge of the blade on both sides were two strangely light, icy blue lines ('veins' seemed like a better description) that came and met at the middle then traveled upward, then eventually stopped when the blue was about to meet the red. The hilt was silver, and one part on the left side seemed to almost curl around the sword. Around the end of the hilt, the silver seemed to fade into an icy blue, much like the veins on the sword.

Len's hands twitched to hold it, at least once. It's been so long since he's held a sword. It may have been sick, but even though he'd killed so many with a sword, he's come to enjoy handling them. Maybe he really was a psychopath. _Or maybe I'm just rubbing off on you!_ Rei happily said. Len nearly scoffed out loud.

 _I thought I banished you...or whatever._ He silently said. Rei snickered.

 _You did, but I came back. Besides, I know you secretly love me!_

 _No. I hate you._ Rei giggled.

 _You just_ think _you hate me-_

 _No, I really fucking hate you. Screw off._ Len replied as he shoved Rei back into his imprisonment. Or, tried to, at least. Rei was pushing back, surprisingly.

 _Let me finish, you god damn inconsiderate, self-loathing, sizzlin' hot piece of ass!_ Rei roared. Len scowled.

 _Why the fuck am I always surrounded by gay-ass people?! Fuck my life,_ He internally complained. Still, though, he knew he shouldn't be, but he was slightly curious as to what Rei wanted to say. He stopped trying to push him back just for a minute.

 _Anyways, so you totally love me, it's just deep, deep, deep, deep, really deep down! Yeah. Also, that sword..._ Rei's voice became quieter at the last part and Len brought his attention to it once again.

 _What about it?_ Len asked.

 _I suspect that it may be something I've heard of as a child, but I'm not quite sure. Go and get information on it. Let me stay to see and I'll explain, yeah?_ Len evaluated this for a moment before replying.

 _How do I know I can trust you?_ He could practically hear Rei throwing up his probably non-existent hands and rolling his eyes.

 _Dammit, Len, buddy! We've been together for nearly half a year, I thought we were as tight as two peas in a po-_

 _You tried taking over my body and nearly killed me in the process. That's not friendship, dumbass._ Len replied, sourly. Rei was quiet for a moment.

 _Well...I guess. You have a pretty sweet bod and one of the best asses ever. Can you really blame me for trying to possess you?_ Rei said. _Getting off topic, here. Just let me see if it's what I think it is and I'll leave you to stew in...I dunno, angst, I guess._ Len paused for a minute before replying.

 _Fine. Just shut up._ He grumbled back. Rei was quiet, taking his instructions seriously. Len, slightly grateful for the quiet, turned his attention back to IA, who was grinning.

"You like?" She said. Len stared at the sword, but nodded dumbly anyways.

"Yeah...where'd you get it?" He asked. The sword looked valuable and he doubted IA had the money to buy it. It definitely didn't look like a normal sword, either. IA shrugged.

"I'll tell you the story later." She said, waving it off. She paused, looking at him, her eyebrows raised.

"...You're a swordsman, I hope?" He nodded. "Good. Now, since I can't have a decent sword fight worth my life, I'm willing to give this to you. However," She paused. "There's a catch." Len scowled.

"You're gonna make me pay for it?" He asked, crossing his arms. IA rolled her eyes.

"No, although that's not a bad idea..." She trailed off, a thoughtful look on her face. Len scoffed lightly. She couldn't be serious. But, knowing IA, she probably was.

"The catch? What is it, then, if I'm not paying?" He asked. IA jumped slightly.

"Oh, yeah. The catch." She said, turning the sword around so that the blade touched the floor. She leaned slightly on the hilt and studied him with calculating eyes before she finally spoke. "Well, let's start with how the sword was created and so on. A long, long time ago in Italy, there was a village. In the village was a blacksmith by the name of Eustorgio. Eustorgio had it all. Loved and known by all in the small village, he had a beautiful, loving wife and a small boy at the age of seven. But all of that changed when a demon attacked the village and slaughtered everyone except for Eustorgio, who went out to gather materials. He came home to find his family butchered and, devastated, nearly went insane. He spent years trying to track the demon with no luck. That is, until his dead son came to him in a dream. His dead son told him that he can help him get his revenge and gave him instructions on how to craft a certain sword and how to use it.

"Eustorgio had many adventures in retrieving the parts for the sword and slayed many demons that came in his path and even hunted them. After crafting the sword, he gave it a name- Yohio. Years later, his son came to him again. Only it wasn't a dream that time. His son has been possessed by the demon ever since it attacked the village. The demon wanted to taunt him, wanted to see him suffer and toy with him. But Eustorgio, engulfed by rage and grief, he surprised the demon by slaughtering it brutally. However, the demon inside of his son died before he did and so, Eustorgio was forced to watch his real son die. However, because of the amount of power Eustorgio used up to kill the demon and because of all the blood he had lost, he died, too. Since then, the sword became a legend and drifted around until I finally got my grubby paws on it." She finished. Len was quiet, and that's when Rei spoke.

 _...It is it..._ He murmured, awe in his voice. _Yohio, the sword of Eustorgio, the wrathful demon hunter. Back in Italy, when I was a child, my mother would tell me the story before I went to sleep._

 _Wow._ That was all Len could say. He was half expecting Rei to say something snarky or ramble on and on about something completely irrelevant, but he didn't. He was quiet.

 _A deal's a deal._ Rei finally said.

 _Eh?_ Len replied, somewhat confused.

 _I told you that if you let me see, I'd go back in solitude. You let me see, so I'll stick to my end of the deal._ To say that Len was shocked was an understatement. He never would've thought that Rei would actually stick to the deal. He was expecting him to whine and complain and bitch about holding his end of the deal. Before he can say anything, he knew that Rei was no longer there.

He decided to ignore it. If Rei was going to be weird, then so be it. He couldn't care less about that bastard. "That's...intense." He finally said. IA shrugged.

"It is. It'd make an awesome manga, though, wouldn't you agree?" Len rolled his eyes, scoffing.

"I couldn't care less about the mango shit-"

"It's called 'manga', not 'mango', you ignorant slut!" IA snapped, waving her hand in the air exasperatedly. "God. You don't know anything about anime. Baka." Len snorted.

"Alright, whatever." He said. "But, again, what the _hell_ is the catch?" He asked, crossing his arms. That story was all fine and dandy and full of rainbows and happiness and all, but he just wanted to get straight to the point.

"Well, you see," IA said. "This sword can make you very, very powerful, but in exchange, you have to give it blood. The more blood you give, the more power if gives to you. However, once you detach from it, not only will you be a bit dizzy because of blood loss, but your body'll start to reject all the power it gave you. Again, the more blood you give, the more severe the rejection will be. However, that's only if you don't bond with it." Len raised his eyebrows.

"Did you just say bond with it?" He asked. IA nodded.

"Yup."

"So, basically, all I gotta do is take it out to dinner and get to know it better?" IA scoffed.

"I wish!" She said. "But no. The sword will decide if it wants you as its' master or not by tasting your blood. It'll find out what you intend to do with it and if it believes that you're worthy of it, it'll accept you. Once it accepts you, you, and only you, will be able to fully control it. It'll stay bonded with you until death. Also, another thing, if you successfully bond with it, it'll warn you that it's taking too much blood and if you keep going you can pass out or die. You'll know when the thing it's using to extract the blood starts turning extremely ice cold. Your body also won't reject the power as severely as it would if you didn't bond with it, but it'd still be pretty severe."

"And if it decides that my blood tastes like shit?" IA snorted.

"That's a nice way of putting it," She said, sarcastically. "It can go three ways. It can either be so unsure that it continues to take your blood even if you pass out or die. If it rejects you, it won't take any more of your blood, but you'll be in terrible agony for at least 24 hours, and you'll be plagued with nightmares for at least a month. It's really not pretty. The sword has accepted very few people in its thousands of years of living." Len nodded, slowly. Being rejected by the sword didn't sound fun at all.

"What's the third way?" Len asked, noticing that she only listed two. IA was quiet for a moment.

"If you get rejected and it knows that you're not worthy and lets you go, it'll still cause lots of agony and nightmares, but there's a possibility that..." She trailed off before speaking again, clearing her throat. "There's a possibility of having an agony-filled death." She let that sink in for a moment before she spoke again. "You don't need to-"

"I'll do it." He interrupted. Len Kagamine, even before, wasn't a wuss, and he wasn't going to start being one now. And did it really matter? It'd be better if he died anyways. He really didn't care if he lived or not. That way, everyone he loved would be safe and wouldn't get hurt because of him. "Now...how do I do this shit?" IA blinked, then sighed.

"You're either brave, stupid, or crazy." She said as she pulled a knife out. "Give me your hand." He did as she said and she slide the knife along his palm, drawing blood. Sheathing the knife and grabbing the sword, she hesitantly handed him the hilt.

"Are you...sure you wanna do this?" She asked, her lips pursed. Len nodded and grasped the hilt.

"O...kay, then." She said. "Your funeral. Now you have to...er...invite it to take your blood." She said. Len raised his eyebrows.

"What?" He said. IA put her hands on her hips.

"It sounds weird, I know, but just...just do it." She sighed. Len rolled his eyes.

"Yo. Sword. Take my blood... or whatever and accept it...or something." He said. It was weird and awkward and it made him feel stupid saying out loud, but he felt even stupider when nothing happened. IA scoffed and pinched the bridge of her nose, and Len shot her a small glare.

"No...I mean that was.. _.something_ alright, but it was too informal and kind of uncaring. The sword- its name is Yohio, by the way, so you might wanna call it that- is used to people inviting it in a respectful manner, so at least try that." She said. Len sighed.

"Fine." He mumbled. He was about to say something, but faltered when he noticed IA staring intently at him. "What?" IA shook her head slightly.

"Just wanna make sure you know that if you die, I'll bring you back to life and kill you." Len rolled his eyes.

"How flattering." He said sarcastically. "I won't go down so easily; I've got people that I need to protect waiting on me and I can't keep them waiting forever, and I can't protect them if I'm six feet underground rotting away, right?" He saw IA smile slightly from the corner of his eye and decided to tone it down a notch. He didn't want to seem so affectionate and caring in front of anyone. "...Plus, if I'm dead, I can't eat food anymore and that's really the only good thing about living." IA scoffed.

"Tsundere." She muttered under her breath. "Now go ahead and do it. I'm sure your girlfriend must be getting bored down there." Len hissed at the word 'girlfriend' and shot her a terrifying glare, but she just giggled.

"Aw, look at that blush! How cute~" _Fuck my life._

"Shut the hell up, you mango-reading idiot!"

"Oi! It's manga, you stupid piece of trash!" She practically yelled. With a small growl and a glare as sharp as a knife, she told him, this time in a quieter voice, "Just do it." Len shrugged, feeling a bit satisfied knowing how easily he could push IA's buttons. He looked down at the sword and narrowed his eye slightly. _You'd better not kill me, you beautiful piece of shit. I have a promise to keep._

"Sw- Yohio. Take my blood as an offering to thy...greatness..." This sentence, to the Kagamine, was far more awkward than the last one. Calling a sword "thy greatness" just didn't feel or sound right no matter how you put it. But it worked. He didn't know how to describe it, but he felt something begin to take the blood from the cut on his palm. It was strange, but it also hurt. Len's eye twitched slightly, but he forced a stoic expression on his face.

IA watched him with a somewhat anxious expression. Len began to feel a bit dizzy and woozy, but after a little, he felt the sword stop taking his blood. "Did it find my blood...good or not?" He asked. IA didn't reply. Instead, she was staring at something- the sword. She blinked, then looked at him.

"I...think. The sword, it's..." She gestured toward it, and Len almost forgot that he was still holding it. He looked down at it and realized why IA was staring. The sword seemed oddly brighter, and at the end of the blade, a blood red mist was being released and seemed to go in a strange sort of pattern, like a fire, before disappearing into the air. As soon as he acknowledged this, the sword seemed to hum in satisfaction. He whistled.

"Damn." He said, staring. The strange mist and glow slowly faded away and it was left looking like how it did when IA first showed it to him. She nodded.

"'Damn' indeed." She said. "You good?" He nodded.

"Yeah, I just feel a little dizzy. Nothin' I can't handle." Len replied. IA looked slightly relieved and she crossed her arms.

"Good. That's good. Since you feel fine, I suppose you should figure out exactly how to get power from the sword. That cool with you?" Len shrugged.

"Sure." He said. "Will it take long? I assume Miku'll probably get suspicious and stuff." IA waved him off.

"It shouldn't take too long. Wow, already dyin' to get back to your girlfriend?" She teased, grinning at him. Len shot her yet another glare, but chose not to comment on it. IA was basically a troll and Len wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of letting her see him all defensive.

"Whatever," He grumbled, "mind telling me how to work this thing?" IA shrugged.

"Course not." She said. "I hear this shit from legends, by the way. Apparently, you're supposed to say something like 'Yohio, drink my blood and in exchange give me strength.' Then it'll take your blood and, apparently, it'll give you power. I heard that saying it in Italian will give you better results, probably because the sword was made in Italy and stuff." Len nodded in understanding.

"Alright. Here goes," He said. He paused and looked down at the sword before finally saying, "Yohio, io offro il mio sangue in cambio per forza." He was fluent in Italian, not that anyone knew. Rei was fluent in Italian, so when...the _incident_ happened, he also just magically, suddenly knew Italian too. IA raised her eyebrows at him but said nothing. Len watched, perplexed, as something came out of the hilt's end.

It looked like if icicles could curl. He was expecting it to feel ice-cold, but when it curled around his arm, he was surprised to find that it only felt cool, not cold at all. He felt something sharp pierce his forearm but showed no indication that it hurt. He watched as the crystal clear slowly turned blood red. He didn't know how to describe it, but he felt...stronger. He was suddenly aware of everything around him. His eyesight became sharper, and so did his hearing. He heard a very small shuffle behind him and felt something was being thrown at him. He turned around quickly and and sliced at whatever was heading towards him. It fell to the ground in two pieces, and Len realized that it was a ninja star.

"The hell?!" He snapped, glaring at her. IA shrugged.

"At least we know that it...worked?" She tried. "Eh, I dunno. You probably would've dodged it anyway." She said. Len rolled his eyes. _She's probably right, though..._

"Okay. So how exactly do I get it to...er, stop?" He asked. Yohio was still taking his blood, and he began to feel a bit dizzier and woozy. Not only that, but he'd also have to deal with the aftereffects later. IA paused, thinking for a moment.

"Just tell it to let go." She said, simply. "And it should comply." Len nodded.

"Yohio. Detach." He commanded. He didn't know what he was expecting, but he was slightly shocked when he felt the stabbing pinch leave and as the icicles retracted back into the sword. He paused for a moment. He felt a little dizzy, but other than that he felt fine. He glanced at IA.

"Isn't there supposed to be some kind of bad reaction or something?" He asked. IA nodded.

"Mhm. It'll come at random times within the hour." She said. She eyed the sword for a minute. "I don't think you can pull off bringing that sword home. I'll keep it here and drop it off." She said. Len nodded and handed it to her. She put it in the closet. She walked over to the door, unlocked it, and held it open for him. "Ladies first." She teased, bowing slightly. Len rolled his eyes.

"Shut up. I do not look like a woman..." IA scoffed.

"Really? You managed to pull crossdressing as some hot chick real well..." She giggled. Len shot her a withering glare. _Dammit. She's never gonna stop reminding me of that, is she?_

He chose not to comment on it and walked out. He stopped at the stairs and gripped the railing. He blinked a few times. A wave of dizziness and nausea had hit him, but it quickly went away. _That must be one of the aftereffects...ugh, is it going to be like that for an hour? Fuck my life._ IA came up behind him and eyed his hand gripping the railing. "Need help going down the stairs, old man?" He hissed at the name.

"No! And shut the fuck up, I'm only 16!"

"Still old."

"Hoe, you're five months older than me."

"...Touche." She muttered. The pair made their way down the stairs. Miku was sprawled across the couch, watching something on the TV. She looked up at us.

"What took you guys so long?" She asked. She narrowed her eyes slightly and sat up, leaning towards Len, her arms crossed. "Don't tell me you two were doing something naughty up there..." Her glare directed at Len was so sharp that you could cut a diamond with it. Although Len would never admit it, he felt sweat beginning to form at the back of his neck and felt a small twinge of admiration at the girl's terrifying, yet impressive glare, although it was nowhere near as scary as the Kagamine's.

"Nah." She said. "This idiot didn't know how to read a manga, so I spent forever teaching him." Miku's glare was less intense now, but it was still there.

"I see." She said, coolly. Something very unMiku-like. "'Cause I really, _really_ hope that you two aren't sneaking around..." Len shuddered inwardly, and that's when it hit him. Len wasn't very good with girls anymore, and he was as dense as a rock when it came to women, but even now the signs were a bit obvious, even to him. _Wait,_ he thought, stifling a laugh, _is she...jealous?!_ Miku scowled at him.

"What're you laughing about?" She asked. Len waved his hand in dismissal, forcing a stoic expression on his face, although he still found the idea hilarious. Miku? Jealous? Of what? _Maybe it's because she wants to become better friends with IA and I'm in the way._

 _"_ Nothing. Nothing at all."Even though he'd realized that Miku was jealous, what he didn't realize that she was jealous of _IA_ and not him. It was funny as to how someone so intelligent could be so stupid. But, then again, even _Miku_ didn't know that she was jealous. The two were both as dense as a large rock.

 _ **~*~**_  
The drive was quiet until Len finally decided to ask. "Oi. What's up with you?" Miku's been sulking ever since they left. She was currently in the passenger's seat, arms crossed, and eyes trained outside the window. She didn't look at him.

"Nothing." She replied, sourly. Len scoffed.

"Oh, c'mon. You're acting all sulk-y and shit. Normally, you'd be yapping about leeks or something but you're quiet. It's weird." She didn't reply. "So what's up?" Again, he received no reply.

"Eh? Don't tell me you're giving me the silent treatment..." She didn't answer, confirming Len's suspicion. He stopped at a red light and shot her a glance. "What'd I even do?!" She huffed, but didn't reply.

"I'm sorry for breathing?" He tried. "What the fuck...why are women so complicated..." He muttered the last part under his breath, but Miku heard it and shot him a glare.

"I'm not complicated!" She snapped. Len rolled his eyes.

"Yes, you are." He replied, gruffly. "You're mad at me or something and I don't even know what I did! Was it because I told you leeks suck ass? Because if that's it, my statement still stands because it's true." Miku scoffed.

"I'm not mad!" She snipped angrily, again confirming Len's theory. "And you can shut the hell up! Leeks dominate, you banana loving piece of shit!" Len rolled his eyes again.

"If you love leeks so much, why don't you go move to Wales?!"

"What?"

"The leek is one of the national emblems of Wales."

"How the fuck do you even know that, you nerd?"

"I know a lot of things. Another thing I know is that you're pissed for some unknown reason. Are you on your period?" She reached over and smacked him on the head. Hard. He hissed and she shot him another glare.

"You can't go around and ask grumpy women if they're on their period, you ignorant slut!" That was the second time that day Len was called an 'ignorant slut.'

"I'm a virgin, mind you!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, why's that so hard to believe, Leek Freak?" Miku threw her hands up in frustration, then gestured to him.

"Because you're real-" She cut herself off, her eyes wide and a red flush coming to her cheeks. Len, upon hearing the sharp cut off, glanced at her, and noticing the blush present on her cheeks, smirked slightly.

"I'm what?" He said. Miku crossed her arms. "What were you gonna say, Hatsune?" She didn't reply. "...It may be my arrogant mind, but were you about so say 'hot?'" Her face, if possible, turned redder. He was right.

"I-It _is_ just your arrogant mind!"

"So you're saying that if someone's attractive that makes them a slut?"

"N-No-"

"So then, according to that logic, wouldn't that make you a slut, too?" The words tumbled out and he didn't even register them until they were already out. Once he realized what he said, he felt mortification and embarrassment settle in his gut as a hot flush rose to his face. _Oh my fucking god, did I really just fucking say that?!_ A stunned silence hung between the two. _Fuck my life, fuck my fucking pathetic unfortunate life! I just got her talking, too..._

"Whoa...are you saying that I'm hot?" A teasing grin spread across the tealette's face. The tables have turned, now, with Miku teasing a blushing Len. He scoffed.

"N-No!" He denied. Miku snickered.

"Aw, how cute-"

"Sh-Shut u-up!" He hissed, trying to force the blush present on his cheeks go away. He couldn't believe this. He was usually so stoic and cool, but now he was a flustered, stuttering mess. Anyone who knew him, even before, would say that it was out of character for him. _Pull yourself together, Kagamine!_

Another minor wave of dizziness hit him and he blinked, his grip on the wheel tightening. _Are you kidding? I'm fucking driving!_ He internally complained. Luckily, they were pulling into the driveway, which meant that Len could go to his room and take the rest of the hour to deal with the effects. Waves of nausea and dizziness have been hitting him at different times, and once, he even had a minor coughing fit, and soon after he tasted the slight metallic taste of blood in his mouth.

"You're pretty pale now considering you were as red as a strawberry just a minute go." Miku said. "You good?" Len rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine." He scoffed. "Why wouldn't I be?" He took his seatbelt off and wasted no time getting out of the car. For a split second, he almost lost his balance, but quickly regained it so Miku wouldn't see. Getting his keys out from his pocket, he unlocked the door and opened it. He walked inside, Miku following him. Rin & Kaito were on the couch, chatting about something. As soon as they entered, the pair looked up at them.

"Hey! The lovebirds are back!" Rin giggled. Len rolled his eyes but didn't comment. Kaito grinned happily.

"Len!" He practically shouted, standing up immediately. He walked over to him, and he was just opening his arms to give him a big embrace, but the Kagamine put his hand up.

"Don't hug-" He stopped himself as yet another, but far more intense, wave of dizziness and wooziness washed over him. He blinked, not realizing that he was holding onto the wall until Kaito pointed it out.

"Are you okay, Len? Do you need a doctor? I can take you to a doctor. You look pale. Oh no; are you sick?! Do you need medicine?" Kaito worriedly asked. "Want me to go make soup?" Len rolled his eyes.

"I'm not sick, calm yourself." He muttered. "It's nothing." Right after he said this, he broke into a fit of coughs. When he pulled his hand away from his mouth, there was a small splotch of blood present on his palm. _Great fucking timing._ He immediately put his hand down and wiped the blood on his pants, but unfortunately Miku noticed. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Len...is that-"

"No. You're hallucinating." He replied. Rin, still on the couch, frowned.

"Eh? What's wrong? Len, do you feel unwell?" He scoffed as he began to climb the stairs.

"I feel fine." He called back. "Anyways, cya guys, I'm going to my room." Before anyone could reply, he slammed the door to his room shut and locked the door and waited for the long hour to pass.

 **Fuck my Life count: 5**

 **Reviews are hugely, greatly appreciated, so if you enjoyed please review.**


	13. Chapter 13

_****Len****_  
The Kagamine sighed as he dumped all the chocolate he'd received for Valentine's Day on the table. He still had to take the ones that he managed to shove in his bag out, too. Despite receiving so many flowers and sweets, he was really beginning to hate the holiday. Rin snickered. "Looks like you still got the charm, Lenny boy." Len scoffed.

"I wish I didn't." He mumbled. Rin raised her eyebrows.

"Eh? But you have so much chocolate..." Rin said. She looked down at a small box containing homemade fudge. "All I got was fudge from Kaito. But fudge is pretty good." She said, shrugging. She eyed Len for a minute before a grin stretched across her face.

"Did you get Miku anything?" She asked. Len rolled his eyes.

"No. Why would I?" He asked. Rin just giggled and played with her hair before looking up at him innocently.

"Well, I dunno if you've heard, but Valentine's Day is the perfect day to express your love for someone..." Len snorted and shot her a glare.

"I don't like her."

"You think you don't. But you do." She chirped. Len scoffed. It was fruitless, trying to argue with Rin, so he instead kept his mouth shut. "So did you know that Miku's going on a date?" This grabbed the blonde's attention. His head snapped up and he looked at Rin intently.

"Oh, really?" He said. "With who?" Rin shrugged.

"I think with some guy named Leon." She said. She giggled. "Jealous?" Len crossed his arms. Jealous? That was preposterous. He sniffed in disdain at the accusation.

"Hell no!" He said. "Is it so wrong to be curious?" Rin shrugged as she stuffed a square of fudge in her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully for a bit then finally swallowed the chocolately goodness.

"Course not. But considering you're in love with her-"

"I am not."

"-or considering that you're crazy over-protective of her, I thought'd you care a bit more. I mean, I don't really like this guy. I'm pretty sure Miku's only going out on a date with him is because he convinced her to give him a chance because he wants that ass. I'm not rooting for his team, y'know?" She said, pausing. She sighed. "But whatever she wants to do, she's free to do so. Unless it's against the law. In that case, no. I mean, I just wanna see her happy so I told her that I'd help her out." Len was quiet, considering this for a moment.

"Why do you not like him?" He asked, vaguely interested. Rin bit her lip.

"He's like one of those playboys." She said. "The man whore type, y'know? I don't want innocent, pure Miku to end up with someone as filthy and impure as him." Len scowled. Playboy? _Hell no,_ he thought, somewhat sourly, _someone like him doesn't deserve someone like her._

* * *

Len nearly choked on his beverage when he saw Miku at the top of the stairs. There he was, just hanging around the kitchen and eating, when Rin's voice suddenly rang out. "Oh Len~" She called sweetly. Len didn't look at her- he was too busy texting IA. She was telling him more about Yohio and how to use it, stuff like that.

"What?" He called, his mouth full of banana as he did so.

"Look up! What do you think of Miku? I dolled her up pretty good, hm?" Len sighed. He grabbed his bottle of water and took a swig and looked up, just to humor Rin, and then his eye caught sight of Miku. He was so shocked that he forgot how to properly drink for a moment and so, he found himself choking. He slammed the bottle down on the table and proceeded to cough violently before he finally looked up again.

"What the actual fuck?" Was the only thing he managed to say as he stared at the tealette. She looked like a completely different person. Her hair was out of its usual twin tails and instead the curled locks flowed freely down her back and tumbled over her shoulders. Her cheeks were tinted pink, most likely from the make-up Rin had applied, and her lips were pink and glossy, her long eyelashes thick and curled. She wore a knee-high white dress and a light green scarf and brown ankle boots. She wore white flower earrings, a golden-colored bracelet, and a simple golden chain necklace with a heart pendant. Rin giggled.

"Aw. He thinks you're so pretty he choked on his drink!" She said, punching Miku's arm lightly. Len immediately protested.

"I was just shocked!" He defended. "She looks nothing at all like how I normally see her everyday..." Miku raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms upon hearing this.

"So I'm not pretty?" She asked teasingly. Len didn't know how to answer. She looked stunning, but like hell he was gonna actually tell her that. _Aw~ Cute pie Len thinks she's pretty!_

 _Shut up. I don't. She looks weird._

 _Oh?_ Rei giggled. _But your heart- it's beating so quickly! Do I hear wedding bells?_ Len scowled. Lately Rei has been communicating with him more frequently and, to be frank, it was quite annoying.

 _Of course my heart's beating fast. I just choked on my water, dumbass._ Rei sighed, making a disappointed 'tsk, tsk' noise.

 _Oh, Len, you romantically inexperienced, emotionally constipated hunk, you._ He sighed. _I've been with enough women to know that you definitely think that your sweetheart's rockin' that cute little dress of hers. No use hiding it~_ Did Rei seriously just call Miku his 'sweetheart?' God, he needed to be stopped.

 _First off, Miku's not my sweetheart. Second off, I don't think she's 'rocking' that white dress. And, finally, I am_ not _emotionally constipated._ Before Rei could say anything more, Len shoved him away, far enough so that he couldn't hear his voice anymore. "I take your silence as a yes?" Rin snickered. Len shot her a glare.

"No!"

"So I _don't_ look cute?"

"You're...something." He offered, turning back around, not necessarily knowing how to or wanting to deal with the situation. He learned that the slightest wrong move could set her off and he wasn't about to deal with that shit. "You're going on a date, yes? That's why you look so different?" Miku nodded and made her way down the stairs and sat down on the couch.

"Yup." She said. Len crossed his arms.

"It's that one guy, right? What was his name..." He thought for a moment. "Ah, yes. Leon?" Miku nodded. Len sat next to her and raised his eyebrows. "I'm shocked that you're actually going out with him." Miku shot him a glare.

"And why's that?" She asked. He shrugged.

"Never thought that you'd want to go out with trash. Maybe you have a trash fetish." Miku snorted.

"He's not trash!"

"I heard he's a slut."

"He's nice! And funny! And cute!" Miku protested. Len rolled his eyes. Although he never met this guy, he pictured him as some ugly troll. He knew that it didn't necessarily make any sense, but still continued to picture him as soon fat, unattractive ogre.

"Mmhm." Len said somewhat skeptically. He pulled his bag closer to him, dug through it, then finally pulled out a pocket knife. He held it out to her. She gawked.

"What the- you keep that in your backpack?!" She gasped. " _Why_?" Len rolled his eyes and held it out a bit further.

"I think the real question here is why _not_." He said. "Now, shut up and take it." Miku raised her eyebrows, but hesitantly took it nonetheless.

"Why're you giving it to me, exactly?" She asked. Len shrugged.

"Defense, isn't it obvious? I mean, I trust you won't go around stabbing people and committing homicide to those who dislike leeks. Besides, that Leon guy could try some dirty moves on you so it'd be best to be prepared." Miku nodded in understanding.

"I see. But...how do I...?" She gestured to the knife. Len rolled his eyes, took it from her hand, and showed her how to open it quickly. _I can't believe she doesn't know how to open one..._ he silently mused.

"Okay. I think I understand." She said. She took the knife back and tried opening it, but it didn't work. Len rolled his eyes. "...Or not."

"You're such an idiot." He scoffed. Miku glared at him and smacked his arm lightly.

" _You're_ an idiot!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, leek freak." He muttered. "Here. Let me show you _again_ , since your small little mind couldn't comprehend it before..." He showed her how to open the knife yet again. Raising his eyebrows, he handed it to her yet again and watched, again, as she utterly failed. He groaned softly.

"God, you're such a huge moron..." He muttered. "Just..." He sighed irritably before reaching over and grabbed the hand that she held the knife with. Her cheeks flushed upon the contact, though he didn't notice it. He guided her fingers to where they were supposed to be and helped her flick the knife open successfully.

"There. I swear to God if you can't do it this time, I'm just gonna give up," He grumbled. He watched as, this time, finally, as Miku successfully opened it. He clapped sarcastically.

"Finally. I was afraid it'd take over 85 years for you to finally open that thing." He grumbled. Miku rolled her eyes.

"Oh, shut up, you banana obsessed moron." She grumbled. Len snorted.

"I'm not the one who took nearly 5 minutes figuring out how to open a simple pocket knife, leek freak."

"And I'm not the one who choked on my water upon seeing a stunning, gorgeous girl." She teased. Len crossed his arms.

"But I'm not the one that's going out on a date with a piece of shit."

"Oh, come on! He's not that bad!" Miku exclaimed. Len rolled his eyes. _How can she think that someone like him's not bad?!_ True, Len didn't even know the guy, but still. He _did_ know that he'd probably hate him. And why? He didn't know either.

"I don't think it's a good fit." He said. Miku glared at him.

"And why's that?"

"Because. He's so- and you're so-" He let out a frustrated noise and threw his hands up. Trying to explain his dislike for Leon was harder than expected.

"From what I've heard-"

"From what you've heard? Damn it, Len, do you even _know_ him?"

"That's not important." He replied, dodging the question, although Miku seemed to have noticed this. She crossed her arms and squinted at him, then grinned a Cheshire cat grin.

"Tell me, Len, are you jelly?"

"No. I fucking hate jam with a burning passion."

"That's not what I meant, dumbass," She said, facepalming. "Although, I have to agree with you. Jam sucks ass."

"I know, right? It's too sweet and just...ugh." He shuddered at the thought. He's always hated jam, ever since he was a little kid. He always found it to be far too sugary and fruity for his taste and always disliked the overall texture of it. However, being the dense rock he was, he didn't get what Miku actually meant.

"Yeah- wait, no. Getting off topic." Miku said, the grin slowly spreading across her face once more. "I meant are you jealous?" Len scoffed at the preposterous idea.

"Hell no!" He said. "Why would I be?" Miku shrugged.

"I dunno. You tell me. I'd love to know, too." She said with a small smirk. Len blinked.

"Looks like you'll never know because I'm not jealous. There's no reason for me to be." He replied. Miku just made out a small 'hmph' and said nothing more. "...But this guy, when's he supposed to pick you up?" He asked. Miku glanced at her phone.

"Actually, I told him to pick me up here since Rin just basically gave me a make-over and it's around the time he's supposed to be here. Which is...in one minute, actually." She said. Len raised his eyebrows.

"Oh? I thought people normally go out at night. But then again, you're a leek freak, so of course you're not normal." Miku hissed at the name.

"You can shut the fuck up, you abnormal banana douchewad!" She snipped. "You're not so normal, either!"

"I know."

"Who can get that many Valentine's Day presents from cute girls and not be interested in any of them! Sometimes I wonder if you're really gay." Len shot her a sharp glare.

"I'm sorry for not being a manwhore like a certain piece of shit that's taking you out," He shot back sourly, "and I'm as straight as a fucking board, you hoe."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." She snickered. Len opened his mouth to protest, but he was cut off by the doorbell. Miku's eyes trailed over to the door excitedly.

"It's him!" She squealed. She gave a sharp, withering look to the male Kagamine. "Don't fuck this up." She growled before getting up and practically tripping over her feet to get the door in time. She opened it cautiously and grinned brightly at the boy in front of her, and Len, in the back, sized him up with a scowl and malicious eyes.

The boy, Leon, was a tall, handsome boy with wide forest green eyes, pale clear skin, and messy shoulder-length blonde hair. Len saw him around school sometimes but never really payed attention to him, but now here he was, spotting out all his flaws. _He's too tall. Miku's a midget. It won't work._ He judged. He took in his stature- hands in his pockets, leaning against the doorframe, standing tall and confidently. _Too arrogant and confident. He looks like a shady guy, too. I hate him already. Ugh._

"Hey," He said, smiling warmly at her. Miku played with her hands behind her back, and Len frowned and narrowed his eyes.

"Hey." Miku said back. "Um, I- I just gotta go get something upstairs. You can come in if it's okay with Rin." She said, turning to glance at Rin. She was besides Len, her arms crossed, and a sour look on her face.

"Yeah." She said, simply. "Come in." Her voice held nearly no emotion except for a small amount of disdain. Leon didn't notice it and walked in.

"I'll be right back." Miku said as she hurriedly rushed upstairs, leaving the trio in an awkward silence, with Len still sizing Leon up and giving him small, sharp glares and Rin eyeing him with distaste. Leon, not wanting to piss anyone off, decided to start a friendly conversation.

"Miku's a wonderful girl." He offered. "I really like her." Len frowned.

"Yeah, I bet you do." He scoffed. "Don't take advantage of that..."

"E-Eh?" Leon said, puzzled. Rin shot him a cold look.

"Yeah. I expect you treat her right, or else things'll get ugly fast." She said in a low voice. "I swear to God, I will fucking track you down and cut your balls off if you try to do so much as touch her in the wrong way. Got it?" Leon nodded, somewhat nervously. He heard that Rin Kagamine always kept her promises.

"G-Got it." He said. Len shot him another glare, this one much more powerful than the others one, and an intimidating and menacing aura surrounded him. Leon gulped.

"Fucking hurt my leek freak and I'll be sending you to the hospital," He promised. Leon took a small step back and nodded.

"Y-Yes." He said. "I'll make sure she gets everything her little, pretty heart desires."

"Oh, so you're gonna spoil her? Make her completely dependent on you? That it?" Len growled. Leon shook his head and put his hands up.

"N-No, that's not what I-"

"I'm back!" Miku interrupted, hopping down the stairs. Leon looked relieved, and he locked his hands with her. Len scowled. _Ugh. He shouldn't be touching her with his filthy hand..._

After the Kagamines bid the couple goodbye and Rin had closed the door, she turned around and gave Len a wide grin. "The hell's wrong with your face?" Len asked.

"Everything." Rin replied. "Ooh, _your_ leek freak?

"Shut up."

* * *

Len stared down at the crying girl before him. Her dress was damp and her teal hair was a mess. Mascara ran down her rosy cheeks as she let out small hiccups, her petite hands gripping the edge of the park bench. "Who did this to you?" Len asked immediately. Miku sniffled, and Len took a seat next to her hesitantly.

"It turns out that L-Leon only wanted to go on this date to make his ex jealous...h-he..." She sobbed. Len sat there awkwardly. He didn't know how comfort crying people, much less girls. He awkwardly patted her back.

"There, there..." He said, stiffly. _Shit, am I doing this right?_ He asked himself. _How the fuck do I...fuck my life._ Miku turned, grabbed his arm, and pulled herself into his embrace.

"Th-Thanks for the knife." She whispered. "It actually...came in handy..." Len stiffened immediately, red hot anger and wrath making its presence known. His hand curled into a fist. _That fucking bastard..._ His angry thoughts slowly faded away when he remembered that Miku was crying into his shoulder. _I can go after him later...right now, Miku needs some awkward comfort._

"He didn't do anything, right?" He asked. Miku shook her head.

"No...no." She replied.

"Um...good...?" He awkwardly said. "Just...he's just some filthy, shitty, egotistic piece of shit. You'll run into someone who's not as shitty as he is one day. Plus, it's his loss. He let go of a perfectly good leek freak. Maybe one day you'll find...another leek freak..." _Shit. This isn't going as planned. Pretty sure I'm making it worse. Fuck my life._ However, he was surprised when he heard her laugh softly.

"Yeah, maybe, you banana bastard." She chuckled.

"What the- where'd you get that one fr-"

"Hey, Len?" She asked, suddenly, her voice weak and soft.

"...Yeah?"

"Take me home."

Without hesitation, he said, "Okay."

He ended up giving her a piggyback ride to her house. They got strange looks, sure, but they didn't really notice or care.

They were too busy enjoying each other's presence.

 ** **Miku****  
I combed my wet teal hair then threw the comb aside then answered the door. To my surprise, Len was there. His arms were full of chocolates and he held a rose bouquet. He looked rather bored. I raised my eyebrows and eyed the goods.

"Uh...hi." I tried.

"Yo." He said. "Here. Take this shit, will you?" He said. Before I knew it, my arms were filled with boxes of chocolate. I let out a surprised squeak and dumped it on the couch before I could drop it all. When I turned back, I came face to face with the bouquet. I grabbed it cautiously and peered at Len from the flowers.

"Eh? What's all this?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. A thought came to mind, and I grinned. "Is this like a Valentine's Day gift for me? How sweet~" I gushed. Len scoffed.

"Shut up." He grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I had too much, okay? I gotta stay in shape, and I figured that since you're a loner you didn't get any." I rolled my eyes but smiled nonetheless. I'd never seen a side of Len that was this sweet. It was quite amusing, seeing the no-nonsense guy giving you roses and chocolate.

"Your tsundere-ness never fails to amuse me," I teased.

"Oh, be quiet, leek freak." He snipped. "What if I'm just trying to get you fat?" I rolled my eyes.

"What if you're gay?"

"Jesus Christ, I'm not!"

"Exactly." I said, grinning warmly at him. Teasing him had become one of my hobbies in the last few months I've known him. "But you're just being a big, gooey, mushy little sweetheart."

"No I'm not."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Yes."

"No. Wait- god dammit, Kagamine. Can't believe I fell for that!" I complained. It was one of the oldest tricks in the book and I fell for it. Nice job, Miku.

"Knew it." He said. He paused to glance at me. "Enjoy the shit I gave you, and have fun turnin' all flabby. Cya." He said. With that, he began to walk away. I grabbed his wrist, and didn't even turn around.

"Thank you, Len." I said. "Really. Thank you."

* * *

Leon didn't come to school after that. Or the next day. Or the day after that one. Or the day after that. When he did come back, however, he came with a black eye, a broken nose, slightly bruised ribs, and a broken arm.

Silly Leon. He thought that Rin was the only one that kept her promises.

He never thought that the male Kagamine was just as serious as keeping his promises, too.

 ** **Ayeeeee, sorry for drowning you guys in LenKu. I finished this chapter in 3 days, I kept telling myself "NO, NO KOREAN DRAMAS OR VIXX DIARIES FOR YOU YOU GOTTA FINISH THIS SHIT BEFORE VALENTINE'S DAY SO DON'T GET DISTRACTED YOU LAZY PIECE OF S HIT!11!1!" so yeh that happened. Who knew that being sick could have its perks?  
Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, comments are hugely greatly appreciated 'cuz I'm a comment whore. ****


	14. Chapter 14

_**Miku**_  
As soon as Miku entered the Kagamine household, the first thing she heard was Rin yell, "Bitch, I will fucking beat your ass if you go to school today! You will stay the _fuck_ home or I _swear_ to the God of pain I will-" Kaito blinked as he entered the kitchen.

The first thing Miku saw when she entered the kitchen was Rin standing in front of a figure that was completely covered in a fleece blanket, like a ghost. She raised her eyebrows. "What's going on here?" She asked. She wasn't really sure if she wanted to know the answer to that question, but she was curious as hell. Rin huffed and crossed her arms.

"My stupid-" The person under the blanket threw the front part up so their face was revealed, confirming Miku's suspicion that it was Len. He glared at Rin. His nose was red and his cheeks were flushed, as though he had a fever.

"I'm not the one failing math!" He snapped. His voice was slightly hoarse and rough, as if he had a sore throat. Rin scoffed and rolled her eyes, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Oi! I'm not the one here that believe in Santa until the age of 13!"

"But I didn't nearly set the house on fire making spaghetti!"

"Hey! That was an accident!"

"Obviously, I don't think you'd set the kitchen on fire on _purpose_ unless you really fucking hated that poor table!"

"It was my first time cooking spaghetti!"

"You don't say!"

Rin opened her mouth to retort, but Kaito beat her to it. "I'm confused." He said, simply. Rin paused and looked at him, then leaned against the counter.

"Stupid Len's sick, but he keeps saying he's not and insists that he's fine and he can go to school!" Len shot her a glare.

"Because I'm _not_ sick!" He protested. "You're just delusional." Rin scoffed.

"That's your defense for everything!" She shot back. "'Oh, you seem tired.' 'You're delusional.' 'Oh, I think you may be sick!' 'You're delusional.' 'I think you're in love with that cute teal-haired girl named Miku.' 'You're delusional.'" Len hissed at the last example.

"Don't make me throw out all the oranges in the house," He growled. "Because believe me, _I will_." Rin flinched, a look of absolute horror on her face before a terrifying look overtook her face as she glared daggers at Len.

"No fucking way," She snarled. "You wouldn't, not when I'm in the room right next to yours when you're sound asleep..." Len crossed his arms. Miku raised her eyebrows. It was unwise to simply talk about throwing oranges out around Rin- she knew from experience.

"Don't test me." He replied. Rin narrowed her eyes at him.

"...You're still staying home." She told him. He scoffed.

"Oh, come _on_ \- _what the fuck are you doing_?" Len said. Miku was just about done with their bullshit. She didn't want to be late. She walked over to Len, pushed his bangs up, and slapped her hand on his forehead. He was burning up. He slapped her hand away.

"Too hot." She said, simply.

"Hot damn!" Kaito hooted from the back. The three turned to look at the blue-haired male. He shrugged, not seeming bothered by their blank stares. "I saw an opportunity and took it, is that so wrong?" Len snorted and rolled his eye.

"It is when you're quoting a retarded song." He grumbled under his breath.

"What was that, Lenny boy~"

"Nothing."

"Hmm, that's what I thought."

It took nearly a half hour, but they finally managed to get Len to agree to stay home. All it took was a few threats and a near-hug from Kaito.

* * *

"Haa? Len's sick?" IA asked, tilting her head. Kaito nodded with a small sigh.

"Yeah, unfortunately." He said, pouting. "I hope he feels better soon. I don't like it when Len's sick- whenever he gets sick he looks so miserable." IA raised her eyebrows.

"Oh?" She mused. "Hm. I wonder how Len looks defenseless and weak and all sick. It's probably gonna be adorable and hilarious. Can I come with you guys? I gotta drop something off to him, anyways." She said. Rin shrugged.

"Sure, whatever." She told IA. "I don't care. Plus, you're not only Len's friend, but I consider you ours, too. 'Sides, I think it's gonna be pretty rare to see Len sneeze cutely so many times and wrap himself in a blanket like a burrito, so I suggest you see it while you can." IA grinned and happily bounced their way. She made her way up to Miku and threw her arm around her while Kaito and Rin went on ahead, talking about video games and music.

Miku would've been fine with the position she and IA were in under normal circumstances, but for some odd reason, the silent reminder that she and Len had spent nearly a whole night together, doing whatever Miku didn't know about, nagged at the back of her mind. She didn't know why it annoyed her so much, not knowing whether or not they were doing unholy things or if they had more fun together than Len's ever had in his whole life. She frowned.

IA seemed to notice this. "Aw, what's wrong, Miku dear?" She asked. "Why do you have a frown on that pretty lil' face of yours?" Miku didn't reply at first, but when she did, all she mumbled was,

"It's nothing." IA paused, then eyed her for a minute, calculating. She grinned.

"...You're still a bit hung up on the fact that Len and I spent a night together, aren't you?" IA asked teasingly. Miku bristled immediately and she opened her mouth to deny it, but IA interrupted her.

"It's all right, you needn't worry. He's not interested in me, so there's nothing going on between us," She chuckled. IA paused then looked around before leaning in slightly. "But if you really wanna know what we did that took the whole night, I'll tell you." IA grinned toothily at Miku before continuing.

"We spent the whole night planning pranks and pranking people I hate," She snickered. "It was hilarious. You know, I had to put make-up on him so he'd be harder to recognize. It was fucking gold." Miku felt a sense of relief flood through her. Why, she didn't know, but she did know that IA was telling the truth about her and Len not being...together in that way. _Hm. It's only because I didn't want them to be in an awkward relationship- that'd be nasty and jeopardize their relationship. That's all._

"But, you know, I bet he's real interested in you," IA giggled. Miku scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, be quiet," She muttered. "It's not-"

"Yooo! We're back, Len!" Kaito yelled as Rin opened the door and walked in. However, they were greeted by silence. Miku raised her eyebrows. "Len? You okay? Where you at?" Kaito called out again, and receiving no response once more. IA raised her eyebrows.

"Maybe he's asleep somewhere. Lets search the house," She suggested. Miku nodded.

"Good idea," Miku said. She made her way up the stairs and cautiously opened the door to Len's room and peered inside. The room was neat, but Len wasn't in there. She raised her eyebrows, having the strong and sudden urge to explore his room, but quickly shot the idea down.

 _He'd kill me if he found out,_ She thought, shuddering inwardly at the thought of facing Len's wrath as she silently closed the door. After a few more minutes of searching the house, the group met downstairs with no Len.

"He's gone," Rin said, sighing. "I found a note." She held out a scrap of paper with Len's curvy, cursive-like handwriting.

 _Don't shit your pants._

 _Went out. I'll be back.  
-Len_

Kaito frowned. "Oh no," He said. "He's sick, too...he shouldn't be out when he's not feeling well...I hope he's okay..." He bit his lip. IA raised her eyebrows.

"He'll be fine," She reassured. Miku sighed.

"Yeah, well..." Miku mumbled. "I wonder where he went..."

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

Ha. They thought they could keep the restless _Len Kagamine_ indoors for a whole day? That was hilarious! The Kagamine would've normally gladly stayed home and ate chicken soup and watched a movie while walking around the house half-naked, but that was two years ago. Len was always restless, now, refusing to do nothing and be bored out of his mind. However, because Rin might come back to an empty house with no sign of her brother, he decided to at least write a note. That was, at least, if he wasn't finished by the time she got home, which was unlikely, since the idea of Rin all alone in the house didn't sit well with him. Which was why he was going to be quick. He was going to do this in a calm, collected manner, he was going to do this fast, no messing around-

"Achoo!"

Len leaped back, sniffing as he felt another sneeze begin to build up. "Achoo! Achoo!" He sneezed. So much for no messing around. He wrinkled his nose. _Are you fucking kidding me? Now's not the time to be spraying snot everywhere!_ He internally scolded, though he couldn't help sneezing. _Fuck my life._ His opponent grinned at him.

"How cute~" She cooed. "The Devil's Dog is so cute with his little kitten sneeze and when he's not about to spill my guys everywhere!" Len scowled as she dodged his attack yet again. His target this time was Iroha Nekomura. Being one of Blackport's few _willing_ experiments _and_ members, she was part cat, which naturally gave her quick, cat-like reflexes and such. Hell, she even had pink-colored cat ears on her head and a damned _tail_ that troubled Len to no end.

She tilted her head and blinked her feline-like eyes at him. Len saw her tail flicker behind her, and he ducked just as she threw a multiple darts at him. Managing to do a series of rolls and flips, he dodged them all, though the needle on one of them grazed his arm. _Close call,_ he thought grimly. He watched warily as she leaped from various places quickly so that she was above Len. Without hesitation, she grinned and swiped at the chandelier above him, and the elegant and expensive piece fell towards him. He rolled out of the way and the chandelier landed with a loud _crash!_

Before he could fully recover, he felt himself being pinned down to the floor and the face of a cheerful, grinning Iroha Nekomura loomed over him. Len, thinking quickly, grabbed her tail and yanked on it as hard as he could. Iroha's eyes grew wide and she let out a shriek. Len shoved her off and reached for his dagger, but as soon as he turned back, Iroha was nearly across the room. She nursed her tail delicately.

Pink dusted her cheeks as she glared at Len. "That hurt," She pouted, looking down and inspecting her nails. Claws were a more accurate description, however. They were painted a bright pink with glitter rimming the end of the claw, and Len found himself silently criticizing her choice in nailpolish. "That's also so dirty, you know! It's like punching a woman in the boob, or kicking a guy in the nuts..." Len raised his eyebrows.

"Oh?" He said. "Good. Tha- achoo!" He cut himself off with another sneeze. Iroha took advantage of that and leaped toward him, extending her hands. Len moved to the side at the last minute. He found it a bit hard to concentrate with his throbbing headache, but he managed to send a fruitless kick toward her head. _Maybe doing this while I'm sick was a bad idea..._ She reached up and scratched the side of his face, leaving cat-like scratches on his right cheek. _Shit. How am I gonna explain that to Rin? Fuck my life._ He reached inside his pocket, grabbed his small emergency knife, and stabbed her in the shoulder. She let out a pained yowl and sent her furiously swishing tail, which was curled around one of the small darts that had failed to hit him earlier, toward his face. He ducked and with his hand balled into a fist threw a punch toward her face.

She merely hissed and dodged the attack, then pulled the dagger out of her shoulder with a wince. She bared her fangs at him, eyes wide with rage. "Rude!" She growled, narrowing her eyes. "...The money'd better be worth it." She grumbled, crouching down and leaping toward the Kagamine. He ducked and Iroha ended up on the floor. She quickly got back to her feet and began fighting.

She wasn't throwing punches, though; it was more like she was trying to scratch Len's face off. Despite how unorganized and reckless it sounded, it was the opposite. She was doing graceful spins and performing dirty moves that Len nearly fell for a few times. He was so occupied deflecting and dodging her attacks that he didn't notice her tail slowly but surely snaking nearer and nearer toward his ankle.

She wrapped her tail around Len's ankle and pulled, making him topple over. Before she could pin him down or drug him while he was on the floor, defenseless and out of weapons, he decided to use the only thing he had.

He yanked the rubber band that held his ponytail together loose, despite the obvious pain of his hair getting pulled, and as Iroha was about to pounce, he shot it and it hit her right between the eyes. She hissed in pain and rubbed the spot where it had hit her. He got back to his feet immediately and roundhouse kicked her. It was, surprisingly, successful. _Cool. I didn't think that'd actually work,_ He mused as he watched her stumble back. She narrowed her eyes and growled. She extended her leg and kicked at Len's face, but he caught her ankle and flipped her over. She let out a yell.

"Don't look up my skirt!" She screeched as she pushed the bottom part of her skirt down so it wouldn't flare. Len found it somewhat comical, how she could be worrying about an enemy _looking up her skirt_ when she was literally in mid-air, in the middle of a fight. Len was expecting her to land on the floor gracefully, but that wasn't the case.

Instead, her tail shot out and wrapped itself around a large, curved steel bar that hung from the ceiling. Why it was installed there in the first place, he didn't know, and almost immediately, she brought the back of her feet up to one of the steel parts and launched herself off. She pulled something out of her sleeve and threw it at him. Whatever it was, it was more than one. A small shower of small, steel sharp objects with a glowing tip came speeding toward him. He managed to duck and dodge, but one of them buried itself in his arm. He pulled it out and waited for the pain, but instead he felt...

Nothing.

That concerned him. It concerned him even more when he found that he couldn't make his legs move. Iroha was getting closer- if he didn't move, she'd tackle him. _What the fuck?!_ He thought hurriedly as he tried to force his legs to move with no progress. _Move, you fucking useless, stupid piece of shit!_

Iroha tackled him to the floor, grinning. "Like that little device? It slowly paralyzes you for about...ten minutes? It's not very long, but it's enough to allow me to knock you out. Blackport made it especially for you~" She said, grinning. "Speaking of which...how's Rei? Okay, I hope?" Len clenched his jaw and shot her a glare.

"Oh, touchy subject?" She said, frowning. She shrugged, not waiting for Len's response. "Oh well. Project Rebirth is in its final stages, by the way. All we need now is-"

"Oh, fuck you, bitch." Len spat. Iroha raised her eyebrows, her face one of mock hurt.

"Potty mouth!" She gasped. "Hm. I suppose I should tranquilize you now...ah, all the money I'll get! The riches! The mountains of clothes, the food, _the food_ I can buy with all that money!" She smiled happily, a content look on her face as her tail swished around. "Seafood every day...lobster...sushi...steak...chicken...pasta...shrimp...ham..." She moaned, sighing with content. She looked down at Len then pulled a syringe from her pocket.

"I hope you know that it's nothing personal- just business." She told him. Len glanced to the side. Shards of glass from the broken chandelier lay on the floor. If he stretched enough, he could probably get a piece. But he knew that Iroha was underestimating him. She thought that she had won, and she'd take her sweet, sweet time knocking him out, so if he lunged for it now, she'd probably very quickly tranquilize him. So he had one shot at this, and he'd be damned if he fucked it up.

"...But I do have to say, thank you, for allowing me to win a fortune~" Iroha cooed, grinning as she raised the syringe.

He was going numb all over. It was only a matter of time before he'd lose control of his arms...

He could feel the needle getting closer and closer to his neck.

For a moment, he considered giving up. It seemed fruitless. But then, as if it were a beacon of hope, an image of all his friends flashed before his eyes. Rin, Kaito, IA...

The needle was so close to his neck he could feel the sharp, sinister tip grazing against his neck.

 _Miku._

With a sudden burst of confidence, he grabbed Iroha's wrist and reached for the shard of glass. It was just out of his grasp, but if he reached just a _bit_ more...

He felt Iroha struggling to pierce the needle into his flesh, but he also had to try and get that shard of glass. It was like multi-tasking. "Achoo!" He sneezed. Iroha squealed and for a split second stopped.

"Ew!" She gagged. "Gross!" Reaching forth, he felt the glass on his fingertips. He brought it just a little closer and grabbed it.

He turned and stabbed it into Iroha's chest just as she was about to stab the needle into his neck. She froze, dropping the syringe in her hand as blood leaked from her mouth. She looked down at where she was currently being stabbed. "Sorry to ruin your nasty sexual food dreams, sweetheart," He growled. "But I've got people waiting on me." He shoved Iroha's body off of him and let go of the glass shard.

He sighed after laying there for a moment. Now that the adrenaline rush was nearly gone and his freedom and future was no longer being threatened, he realized how shitty he felt. His head throbbed painfully, his throat was incredibly sore and dry, he was extremely tired, his nose was stuffy as fuck, and he felt cold, though he was currently running a fever. He was about to sit up, but he found that he couldn't. He paused, then groaned loudly.

The stuff that Iroha shot him with must be kicking in. How long was he supposed to stay like this before he could finally move again? 10 minutes, was it? Len sighed. First he feels like horse shit, then he has to deal with Iroha's dead eyes staring holes into the side of his head for 10 minutes while he lay there, paralyzed and completely helpless, and then after that he had to go home all battered-looking and come up with a story for that, (maybe he could use his 10 minutes of staring at the ceiling wisely after all) and he lost his rubber band. Great. He groaned.

 _Fuck my life._

* * *

 _ **Miku**_  
"Oi! Where were you?!" Rin yelled as soon as the door opened. "What happened?" A tired-looking Len was revealed, and Miku winced. On his right cheek was a long scratch from what looked like a cat. His hair was down and was all over the place, sticking up and seeming messier than usual. His cheeks were flushed, still, and he rolled his eye.

"I went out." He replied. "Shocking, right?" Rin sighed.

"You shouldn't be going out when you're unwell, Len," Kaito scolded, frowning. "You worry me, you know! You left your phone here so we couldn't call you. Do you know how scared I was when we couldn't find you?! I thought you got abducted my aliens or something!" Len rolled his eye again.

"You're so stupid," He grumbled under his breath. He made his way to the couch and collapsed on it with a sigh.

"What happened to you, Lenny boy?" IA asked. Len raised his eyebrows, looked up, and groaned loudly upon seeing a grinning IA standing near the doorway. "Didja get in a brawl with a kitty cat? It looks like the cat won."

"Damn it, I thought I wouldn't have to see you today..." He grumbled. "Why the hell are you here?" IA shrugged. She looked for something in her pocket, then tossed it to Len, who caught it. He opened his hand to reveal a simple ring sitting on his palm. It was silver, one side rimmed with a light, icy blue and the other side rimmed with a deep blood red one. Len paused, analyzing the ring, then he finally looked up at IA. "It's from a friend of mine named _Yohio_." She explained. Len nodded slightly.

"I see..." He said. "Is this the Yohio I've heard about?" She nodded.

"Mhm. So what happened to your face?" Len rolled his eye.

"Gee, nice way of phrasing it," He said, sarcastically. "I...was attacked by a cat." He said. Miku couldn't help but snort at the mental image of a cute, cuddly cat attacking the scary, intimidating Len. He shot her a glare. "Shut up, leek freak." He snipped. He grabbed a fleece blanket that was nearby and threw it on himself. Kaito frowned.

"Oh, dear." He said. "Are you cold?" Len snorted.

"No, Kaito," He replied, sarcastically. "I just have this thick blanket covering me because I'm making a fashion statement." Kaito pouted.

"Sarcastic as always!" He huffed. "I'll go make you chicken soup. My aunt always made it for me when I was sick. Maybe it'll help with your sore throat." said Kaito, smiling as he walked to the kitchen. About 20 seconds later, he called back, "Uh...so I don't know how to make chicken soup..." Rin scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Idiot," She mumbled. "I suppose I should go help him before he burns the house down or floods the kitchen...c'mon, IA." She said, tugging IA to the kitchen, leaving Len and Miku alone. Miku eyed Len curiously. _I wonder what happened to him?_ She thought. She didn't really buy the 'I was attacked by a cat' thing. He looked exhausted, and his movements were sluggish and he looked deprived of energy. _Jesus, he looks beat. Even his hairtie is missing._ She rarely ever saw Len's hair out of its ponytail, so she was a bit curious as to why it was down, although he _did_ look nice with his hair down, she'll admit.

"Were you being a retard and doing something stupid again?" Miku questioned. Len scoffed.

"Ha? What do you mean _again_?" He snorted. "You're the one that does all the stupid shit! In fact, you do something retarded every day!"

"No I don't!"

"Yes, you do. Remember that one time when you wasted your Valentine's Day on a date with a piece of shit?"

"Remember that one time you somehow got thrown into a pool while your wound was still healing? Speaking of which, how-"

"None of your business." He interrupted. "...But at least I didn't fall asleep in class and wake up in the middle of a lecture yelling 'Fuck off, you sad excuse of a leek!" Miku felt her cheeks burn at the memory. She was mortified just thinking about it, even though it happened nearly a month ago.

"S-Shut up!" She hissed. "I haven't done anything dumb to-" She faltered for a minute, a certain memory from that day flashing in her mind. "-day..." Len raised his eyebrows.

"Oh really, leek freak?"

"Yup."

"You absolutely sure?"

"...Mhm."

"...You're not being truthful, are you?" He said. "Tell me, what'd you do this time?" Miku puffed her cheeks embarrassedly and looked away.

"So, you know...um, you know Ted Kasane?" She mumbled. Len wrinkled his nose, his face disgusted.

"Ugh. That egotistic asshole that thinks he's all high and mighty when in reality everyone hates him and thinks he's a disgusting pig? The one with the girly ponytail?" Ted was one of the playboys at Crypton High, being the one of the 'cool, rough & tough kids' and being rarely rejected. Miku hated his arrogance and guts. Once Ted had tried to hit on Rin and even tried to kiss her, but unfortunately for the red-haired bastard, Len was there. Ted ended up wearing a black eye to school the next day. Miku snorted.

"You have a ponytail too, idiot."

"At least mine isn't bright red and doesn't go to my waist with some retarded twirl at the end of it." He retorted. Miku rolled her eyes, but continued anyways.

"So was sneaking up behind me and I, um...kind of kicked him in the nuts..." She mumbled. "It turns out that he was gonna ask me out...but then when I injured him, he ran away yelling curses and I think he was crying?" Miku rubbed the back of her neck. She may have felt a little bad for the guy if he wasn't such an asshole. She peeked at Len. He was shaking, his head down and hair covering his face. Miku pursed her lips. She knew how protective he could be, and she didn't necessarily want Len to bash Ted's face in again.

"Len, are you alr- hey! Are you-" She noticed that his shoulders were shaking and small chuckles were slipping through his lips, and she pushed him lightly. He raised his head and she saw that he wasn't angry at all- he was _laughing._

He finally stopped trying to muffle his laughter and instead let his loud laughter be heard. Miku noticed that he had dimples and, despite his appearance, a boyish, hearty, and even slightly contagious laugh, as Miku felt the corners of her mouth pulling upward in a small smile. It was her first time actually seeing the male Kagamine laugh- not chuckle or snicker, but actually _laugh_. "No way!" He cackled between bursts of laughter. "You- You made the 'cool' and 'tough' Ted Kasane _cry_? The one that _supposedly_ beat up a group of gangsters? Good God, that's fucking gold!" After a while. his laughter died off, and he put his poker face back on, much to Miku's hidden disappointment.

 _He looks nice when he smiles. He should really do it more often,_ She thought to herself as IA entered the room. She watched as Len and IA bickered. A small smile graced her lips.

 _I suppose I should work harder on getting that beautiful smile on his face more often._

 **IT'S RAINING LENKU**

 **HALLELUJAH**

 **IT'S RAINING LENKU**

 **Fuck my Life count: 3**

 **but hol guys. I feel like this chapter wasn't written well, especially the Iroha/Len fight scene (so sorry bout that btw) so bear with me? Please? Also, a new character and an old one will be in the next chapter! Nehehe.**

 **Please leave a comment! What's Project Rebirth? What do they need for its 'final stage?' Was the ring Yohio, Len's new sword? Who do you think is gonna be the new character? Who do you think is gonna be re-introduced? Again, don't be shy! Say all you want about this chapter in the comment section!**

 **Ciao~**


	15. Chapter 15

_**Len**_  
Len gave the purple haired guy a dark look from the distance. He- Gakupo- was blissfully unaware of the Kagamine's intense and hostile glare. He leaned against the wall, a charming smile present on his handsome face as he spoke to the tealette. _Who the everloving fuck is this potato?_ Len thought.

Miku giggled softly as he said something to her in his deep, soothing voice. Len frowned. _She's giggling. Why is she giggling?_ He crossed his arms and stared sourly at the two. Next to him, Neru snickered.

"What's with that face?" She asked him, grinning. "Upset 'cause you got competition?" Len shot her a sharp look.

"Competition? For what?" He replied. She raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, I think you know~" Upon seeing Len's blank stare, she rolled her eyes and elaborated, "Miku, of course, you dud." His glare intensified at the accusation. He was fed up with everyone teasing him about Miku. Why was that, anyway? Was it because he picked on her the most? _That must be it_ , he decided, _there's no other explanation. They're all retards if that's the case._

"Ugh, shut up." He grumbled. "I just don't like eggplants." Neru raised her eyebrows.

"Eggplants?" She questioned. Len blinked- was she blind? Did she not see the guy's crazy, overly colorful, bright purple hair? Len rolled his eyes.

"Do you not see his hair? Who is he anyways?" His question came out almost in a growl. He cleared his throat awkwardly as Neru raised her eyebrows at him.

"Gakupo," She told him. "You remember the hot guy I was talking about? The hot guy? Turns out he's a senior here. I'm surprised you haven't seen him around." She looked at her nails, painted yellow and quite long. Len felt the corners of his mouth pull down in a frown as Miku covered her mouth with her hand, laughing, her cheeks rosy. Gakupo smiled and said something else, then put his hand on her shoulder. Len twitched. _Ew. If he doesn't stop flirting with her I think I'll kill him. Ugh. Fuck my life._

"Hey. You have a phone right?" He said. Neru raised her eyebrows, then cautiously took out her yellow smartphone.

"Yeah...why- hey!" She hissed as Len snatched it out of her hands. She lunged at him, grabbing wildly for her phone. He stepped back and extended his arm, planting his hand on her forehead so it'd be rather difficult for her to try and get her phone back by going directly forward. Luckily, Neru was short. He shot a glance at the two as he dialed Miku's number, eye narrowed.

He patiently waited until he saw Miku pause and take her phone out of her pocket. "Hello?" She answered. Len cleared his throat quietly. He was sure that she couldn't see him. Was what he was doing stupid? Of course it was. Len was the king of dumb plans. The Kagamine was the _definition_ of stupid ideas. But whatever made that perverted eggplant stop touching her, he'd do.

 _Fuck my life. I sound desperate or something_ , he thought with a shudder, _gross_.

"Is your refrigerator running?" He asked, pinching his nose so his voice sounded different than normal. She scoffed.

"No," She replied. Len watched as a triumphant grin grew on her face. "It's not."

"Oh? How unsanitary! Your food will spoil! Is it that you like spoiled, rotten food, then? Absolutely repulsing!" She made a noise of surprise and Len smirked. He anticipated that she'd say no and prepared for it.

"Wha- Who is this?!" She asked in a demanding tone.

"A human being."

"Well what's your name? Do I know you? Is that you, Dell?"

"My name's Blurryface and I care what you think." He didn't wait for her reply and hung up. He watched Miku's expression grow puzzled as she withdrew the phone from her ear and looked down at it. He turned and returned the phone to Neru, who snatched it out of his hands and smacked his head.

"Not. My. Phone." She growled angrily. Len could've sworn he saw the scariest and deepest pit of hell in her eyes. _Holy shit. I think I may have summoned the devil himself here. Fuck my life._

He made a silent note to himself not to mess with Neru's phone after getting a beating from Neru and ending up with a few new bruises.

* * *

 _Fuck. My. Life._

Len never planned for this 'Gakupo' guy to show up at his house, or, more appropriately, he never expected that Rin would invite him over. He spent nearly the whole day trying to avoid this eggplant, from turning the other way when seeing him in the halls and even sprinting home when Miku tried to call him over and introduce them. Yet here Gakupo was, chilling out in his living room. He'd rather not talk to some guy that'd hit on everything that moves. Besides, he didn't feel like interacting with people right now. Of course, he never wanted to interact with other people nowadays, but today more so than ever. "Gakupo, hm?" Kaito said, tilting his head. "Ah...you're the guy that co-runs the karate thing right?" Gakupo nodded.

"I help my father run the dojo, yes." He answered smoothly. He raised his eyebrows. "I don't recall seeing you recently- did you go on a vacation or something?" Kaito nodded.

"My parents went on a business trip to Japan and took me with them." He answered. Gakupo grinned and nudged him with his elbow.

"Didja pick up any hot chicks?" Kaito blinked.

"No..." He said with a somewhat sad sigh. "But there were a lot of pretty girls..." Rin coughed loudly from next to Kaito. She looked a tad annoyed, as if she was...

 _Jealous?_ Len thought. _Of course- it's always been obvious she liked him._ "Oi- Len! Get your ass over here- quit being so antisocial. Yeah, I see you trying to sneak up the stairs!" _Damn. Fuck my life._ With a sigh of defeat, he trudged down the stairs. Damn Rin and her eagle eyes. He was so close to escaping to his room, too. Gakupo's violet eyes followed him curiously.

"I don't think you two've properly met before." Rin said. "Len, this is Gakupo. I think you've heard of him. We kind of became friends some time around...a year ago? Ah, no matter. Anyways, Gakupo, this is my brother, Len." Gakupo put his hand out to shake, and Len raised his eyebrows before finally firmly gripping his hand and shaking it before immediately withdrawing.

"Ah, the famous Len Kagamine. You've been all the talk around here lately. I must say, it's a relief you're back. Pleasure meeting you." He gave a small bow.

"You too," Len drawled, lazily. Gakupo didn't falter at Len's curt response and instead try to make conversation.

"The chicks here just _fawn_ over you, man. Hell, you make them melt over something as small as brushing your hair away from your face! You're one lucky guy- I bet you can easily hook up with anyone in this town at this rate. If I were you, I'd use that gift of yours to get me some more often." Len managed to resist rolling his eye. What a pig. _Is sex all he thinks about?_ He thought. _Tch. How pathetic. If that's the case, if he even tries making a move on Rin or Miku or even that idiot IA, I'll be making sure he never has children ever..._

"Hm." Len ended up saying, and he said nothing more after that. Gakupo looked a bit uncomfortable at Len's intense and dangerous stare, and Rin found the awkward silence between them unbearable.

"So, Len-" Gakupo started, only to be cut off by Len's blaring ringtone. _Thank God,_ Len thought.

"Oh dear. Looks like I gotta take this. Nice meeting you, Gakupo." Len said, voice dripping with sarcasm as he hurried up the stairs, answering his phone. He stopped outside his bedroom door and settled for leaning against the wall next to it. He could, of course, just go in and close the door, but he was feeling lazy. It was IA calling, which meant that he'd probably have to head out anyways, so why waste the energy? Besides, nobody was even up here, anyways.

"What'd you do?" Those were the first words that came out of the Kagamine's mouth. IA sighed on the other end.

"Oh, is it such a _crime_ to call my dearest friend? You know, you're the best person in the whole world and the hottest-"

"What. Did you. _Do?_ " The obviously faked sweetness and syrupy tone of her voice had put up red flags for him. IA seemed like the person that would call, butter you up with compliments and flattery, then ask you a favor because she fucked up real bad and dug her own grave.

"So I got a problem." Len rolled his eyes.

"Knew it." He grumbled. "What is it? Mission gone wrong?" IA laughed nervously.

"Well...kind of..." She giggled, trailing off before speaking up again. "I um...well, you know Sonika Akinso? Yeah, she's in my basement. I think I accidentally kidnapped her..." Len's eye widened in shock.

"You _what_?" He hissed. "How the everloving _fuck_ did you do that, you retarded breadstick?!" IA huffed.

"It's been a while since I've done this kind of shit! I stopped right after I escaped Blackport." She explained. "So I got kinda confused and thought she was working for them but I wasn't sure so I knocked her out and now she's in my basement and I just realized that she isn't part of Blackport so this is kinda awkward..." Len sighed and rubbed his temples. First he had to deal with a new possible threat to Rin and his friends- he means _associates-_ then he put Neru in a pissy mood, unknowingly unleashing the best within her so anybody in her way felt her wrath and fury, and now he had to help a certain idiot out of her mess. _Mondays are the worst,_ he thought gloomily, _fuck my life._

"If you haven't done it so much before, why the hell are you doing it _now_?" He asked, rolling his eye. "You shouldn't do it if you've forgotten how to. You'll get yourself killed, idiot. Not that I'm worried about you or anything- it'd just suck since you're the only one here that knows about everything that happened in the past 2 years." IA snorted.

"Gee, thanks," She replied sarcastically. "I figured that I might as well try to help you with getting more information instead of sitting on my ass all day and stuffing my beautiful face with cake." Len pinched the bridge of his nose. IA, trying to help? Please. She already does enough when she's not in the field- she'd just cause more trouble for him if she were to get injured or captured or even killed.

"Yeah? Well I can do it all myself. Piece of cake. Easy breezy. You just stay out of it- you'll cause more trouble and you're clumsy and noisy as fuck." IA sighed.

"Well, maybe I'm a little rusty, but I'm still somewhat in shape!" She retorted. "Besides, I know that taking out so many skilled and experienced people must be pretty fucking hard. I see the toll it has on you- you're a great actor and all, but not enough to fool me. Takes one to know one." Len scoffed.

"Acting?" He said, voice thick with disbelief, "it's all so easy- it's not hard at all. You're just delusional."

"Oh, yeah," She replied. "I forgot you're a tsundere and refuse to tell the truth about how you really feel. The bruises and the scratches and the limping, I see it all, you banana. Don't try to hide it. If you need help, I'm here. Actually, I think I'm your only option since I'm the only one who knows of your situation, so..." Len sighed, then looked around before speaking again.

"Just...whatever. Fine. I'll help you outta your mess. Don't let her see your face, and do _not_ talk to her until I come." He didn't wait for her reply and hung up. He paused, standing in the hallway for a minute before stuffing his phone back in the pocket. _Fuck my life_ , he thought, wincing. He was still sore and bruised from his last fight, which was nearly...two days ago? Three, maybe. _It doesn't matter,_ he dismissed, _I just gotta come up with a believable excuse to leave the house..._

An excuse to leave the house...grocery shopping, maybe? _No_ , he shot down, _I'll have to come back with groceries for it to be believable...fuck it, I'm just gonna tell the half-truth and say I'm heading to IA's house._ He rubbed his temple with a sigh. He wasn't very good with girls, so he certainly didn't know how to properly deal with one that your friend kidnapped. He started down the stairs, already secretly throttling IA for being stupid, as usual.

However, unknown to him, a certain tealette returning from the bathroom had heard the whole thing.

 **Fuck my Life count: 6**

 **but hot damn guys its already the 15th chapter and all ive been writing about lately is jelly len, lenku, etc. and nothing about the actual plot/any of the intense scenarios i wish to reveal. holy shit i need to chop-fucking-chop.**

 _ **Reviews are encouraged and greatly appreciated!**_


	16. Chapter 16

**Miku**  
He was weird. That was an understatement, I know. He was the strangest, most confusing person I've ever met. The guy was like a walking puzzle that not even Einstein could solve. And, if possible, he became even _more_ confusing and aroused my curiosity further.

"If you haven't done it so much before, why the hell are you doing it _now_? You shouldn't do it if you've forgotten how to. You'll get yourself killed, idiot. Not that I'm worried about you or anything- it'd just suck since you're the only one here that knows about everything that happened in the past 2 years." I flinched at his words, eyes widening in surprise.

 _...Killed?_ I thought, gripping the bottom of my shirt. I swallowed a gasp that threatened to escape from my throat. _That's IA he's talking to, isn't it? What could she be doing...is it illegal? Dead...?_ The thought of IA dead sent a jolt of fear through me. _...The last 2 years? Didn't he disappear in that time? Don't tell me...she knows about whatever the hell happened to him, doesn't she?_ I frowned. Why would he tell her, of all people?

Kaito was his best friend, no matter how many times Len denied it and Rin was his twin sister. Why hasn't he told _them_? Why IA? _Maybe...she's somehow involved in it...but what exactly is_ it?I paused, considering just walking by and back to the living room. Eavesdroppers were the worst, and I didn't want to further fuel my curiosity. I've been in a few tight, awkward situations because of my overwhelming curiosity. I didn't really want to find myself in that kind of situation with a terrifying and angry Len Kagamine.

But before I could decide what to do, he spoke again. "Yeah? Well I can do it all myself. Piece of cake. Easy breezy. You just stay out of it- you'll cause more trouble and you're clumsy and noisy as fuck."

Yup. I was definitely hooked and too intrigued to not listen any further. Noisy and clumsy? That obviously meant that whatever the hell he was doing required for the person to be sneaky and careful. Something that was most likely serious. There was a pause, and I held my breath, afraid that if I even moved he would find out that I've been listening to his conversation ever since he came up the stairs. But then he spoke again, voice laced with irritation.

"Acting? It's all so easy- it's not hard at all. You're just delusional." Ah, there it was. Len's infamous "you're delusional" line. Typically used when someone was either worrying or accusing him of something. There was another pause.

"Just...whatever. Fine. I'll help you outta your mess. Don't let her see your face, and do _not_ talk to her until I come." He said warily before hanging up sharply. He sighed. I peeked around the corner to find him leaning against the wall, rubbing his temple as if he had a headache. Rolling his shoulders, he turned and shuffled downstairs.

I didn't move for a full minute. Once I was completely sure that he wasn't coming back up, I let out a breath, a million unanswered questions in my head. What the hell was all that about not letting someone see IA's face? Were they going to prank someone? Were they stalking someone? For a moment, I paused, then an idea, followed by another one and another one, hit me with full force.

 _No way what if he's a drug dealer? What if he's in a gang?! Wait...are they planning to jump someone?!_ I thought with a gasp. It made sense- Len told IA that she might get herself killed. Of course, jumping someone could be dangerous, to both people. And he told IA that she was clumsy and noisy. Naturally, if you wanted to sneak up on someone, you'd want to be quiet and stealthy. It's possible that he was warning her about that. _Hold up...does that mean that he's going to help her?!_ The thought shocked me to the core.

 _No...he wouldn't..._ I told myself. _It could be something else. Maybe they're not jumping anyone._ I forced myself to calm down. The thought was preposterous. However, that one, retarded thought kept coming back to me.

 _Shit...what if he_ is _in a gang or deals drugs?_

* * *

 _ **Len**_  
Len grunted as he jimmied out of the small window of Sonika Akinso's room. He wasn't doing anything...specifically _unholy_ , mind you, he was just returning the unconscious Sonika to her room. He forced IA to stay at her house- she'd probably fuck up and wake Sonika's parents or something. He closed the window quietly and looked around before casually walking away, taking a shortcut that led to his home.

He passed by an old abandoned building that was once a factory of some sort and stopped. He could faintly hear someone whispering his name. _"Len. Len Kagamine. Come, Len Kagamine."_

Len wasn't ignorant. Obviously, it was a trap. He'd seen enough horror movies with Rin to know that only idiots that'll get themselves killed one day because of their own stupidity walk inside an abandoned building while it was dark out because something was whispering their name. But, Len was an idiot. Not an average one, however. He looked down at the ring- Yohio. _Maybe this'll be my first time using him..._ he thought as he cast another look around the deserted street before walking towards it.

The windows were boarded up and the door was locked. He decided to look around the area before completely before tearing a board off and breaking a window to get in. They, whoever it was, had to get in somehow. Len found, around the back, a broken window. He paused, squinting slightly, before worming his way through it. Luckily, most of the glass was already gone and lay on the floor, so he didn't get stabbed or cut by the leftover shards.

Once he was inside the building, he stood up and looked around. There was little to no lighting, making the room quite dim, but even so, Len could still make out his surroundings. Graffiti decorated the walls from words like "Just die" to "They'll come" to cartoon drawings of skeletons and such. Plants grew from random places inside the building, and dirt and debris littered the concrete floor. The sound of something dripping could be heard, and the foul smell of must and dust made its presence known. Webs decorated the room. Rats squeaked as Len walked to the other side and scampered away.

"Tch. This place's a mess," Len muttered. There was a chuckle from behind him, and the room suddenly got a whole lot brighter. Len turned to find two people behind him. _Ah, fuck my life._ One of them was a girl with pitch black chin-length, messy blonde hair. She wore a grey bow similar to Rin's on her head and a white sleeveless top. Hanging down the middle of the top of a large dark grey bow, identical to the one on her head, and dark grey shorts. She wore white shoes and something that looked like legwarmers rested on top, going up to the the bottom of her knees and stopping. Her eyes were the color of storm clouds. She had a twinkle of childishness and mischief in her eyes.

The other was a boy. He stood next to her almost protectively, arms crossed, scowl on his face. His raven black hair was messy and went about to his shoulders. Like Len, his hair was up in a small ponytail. He, like the girl next to him, had stormy gray eyes, only his seemed darker and far more serious and cold than hers. He wore black shorts that went up to his knees and a white short sleeved shirts with a dark grey tie. He wore grey and black shoes with something attached to the top of the shoe and going up and stopping below the knee, leaving only a sliver of pale skin visible. He had the same type of thing on his arms. _Leg and arm warmers?_ Len thought with an eye roll. _How lame._

He noticed that lanterns were lit now, making the room far brighter than it was. Len eyed the tattoo on the girl's arm. _-02_. Blackport. He couldn't see the boy's tattoo, but he assumed he had one. He raised his eyebrows, surprised that someone as powerful and high-ranked as them would actually come and try to get him. _You're a big deal, you know._ Rei reminded him. _Probably because of me~_

"Lin & Ren, the Haine twins?" Len said in disbelief. "This is quite the surprise. I never thought that the legendary Shadow Twins would come for little ole me." Lin grinned.

"Ha? But you're so important!" She yelled. Why she was yelling was beyond him. "Don't tell yourself you're not 'cause you are!" _Lin likes to yell at people,_ Rei explained.

 _Fuck my life...why're you even still here?_ Len growled. Rei scoffed.

 _Don't tell me you think that I'm going to miss out on a fight between the legendary Shadow Twins and the Devil's Dog!_ Rei gasped. _Ooh, this is gonna be awesome. I wish I had popcorn. I wish I had a physical body..._

 _Go away, you're distracting._ Len ordered, already beginning to push him back. Rei scrambled to convince the Kagamine to let him stay.

 _W-Wait!_ Rei yelped, pushing back against Len. _Come on! I wanna see this! You know, I knew them when they were still in diapers? Well, I mean, I was 5 at the time, but still! I wanna see how this'll work out. I'll be quiet._ Len managed to keep a sigh. Pushing him away would be too much work. He was feeling lazy right now, despite the very dangerous and notorious enemies standing in front of him.

"I take it I can't just go home? Because I'm fucking starving. The last time I ate was, like, two hours ago." Ren didn't look amused at this. He looked up at him, eyes cold.

"Do not make this hard upon yourself, Devil's Dog." He said calmly. "Come with us or we'll take you by force."

"Yeah!" Lin piped in. "I don't wanna do that! I'm sleepy..." She rubbed her eyes and blinked. Len sighed.

"Obviously, I'm not going with you two imbeciles," Len scoffed. "The food at Blackport's fucking horrible." Lin nodded in agreement as she threw a small packet of something onto the ground behind her, then one across the room. Upon landing, it gave a small explosion and transformed into a small beacon. Light shone through it, lighting up the room significantly.

"Yeah, the food there _is_ kinda nasty." She agreed. "But don't worry- I'll sneak you some good food every now and then!" Len jumped back just in time as a shadow came speeding toward him. The Haine twins' power to control the shadows wasn't as one would think. They didn't necessarily actually use the shadows on the floor to harm their opponent because that'd do no damage whatsoever. Instead, they took a shadow and turned it to a physical thing. They could split it in half, contort it, shape it, and more. That was what made the Haine twins so powerful- they could viciously attack you from a distance with a bloody, physical _shadow_. He jumped up in the air as another shadow tried to get him from behind.

"Yohio!" He yelled. Immediately, Yohio appeared in his hand, the ring part of him still on Len's finger. He heard Lin gasp.

"The sword of Eustorgio..." Ren muttered. Len jumped back as a shadow came clawing at his face. However, another one came speeding toward him and stabbed his leg. He hissed and stabbed the sword downward, impaling the 'shadow.' That was one of the upsides of the whole 'physical' thing- unlike regular shadows, he could actually stab it. He watched as it dissolved into air. He ducked as a shadow figure tried to put him in a choke hold from behind and kicked it in the face so hard that it went flying. He watched as that, too, dissolved into nothing.

"It's so pretty!" Lin gaped. "I want it!" He watched wearily as several shadows bolted toward him. _Fuck my life._ He managed to deflect a few blows, but he still got hit. He grunted as he felt one of them stab his side. He cut off the shadow immediately and jumped back.

"Shit," He growled. " _Yohio, io offro il mio sangue in cambio per forza._ " He watched as the icicle-like vines wrapped around his arm and pierced his skin, staining the clearness of it red. He turned and raised his sword, blocking Lin's attack. Surprisingly, the girl had her own sword out and apparently decided to attack the Kagamine herself while her brother stayed behind. Her sword was a simple samurai sword with a black leather handle.

"This is a surprise," He told her. He drew back and stabbed at her stomach. She stepped to the side and blocked the attack. Len spun around so he was behind her and swiped at her neck. She ducked and turned to him and tried dealing a hit toward his side. He stepped back and deflected the blow with his own blade.

"I'm full of surprises, you know." She giggled. "Looks like that sword's attached to you...maybe the only way is to cut off your arm-" Lin pushed back and swiped at Len's shoulder. Len, who was preoccupied with Ren's shadow attacks, noticed a little too late. He hissed. "-but then I don't think Rei's gonna like having only one arm..."

"But he might," Len replied as he jumped back from another attack. Lin snorted.

"Yeah, because he's gonna enjoy having only one arm left." She replied sarcastically. Lin ducked and jumped toward Len, about to stab his side again. He leaped into the air and appeared again behind Lin.

"Say, you should experience it yourself then tell him _all_ about it." He swung his sword and cut her arm. Unfortunately for him, she managed to somewhat block it with her sword so the wound wasn't as deep and serious as he'd hoped. He jumped up as Lin tried to cut his leg and took the opportunity to stab at her shoulder. It would've been successful if it weren't for Ren's shadow attack from behind. He felt a hand wrap around his wrist as he was about to bring the sword down and throw him across the room. He felt his head hit something hard and a substance of some sort- blood, probably- trickle down the side of his head. _Shit...fuck my life...that damned Ren's making this harder than expected..._

"Do not be so reckless, Lin." Ren warned, not taking his steely eyes off of Len. "The Devil's Dog is not one to toy with."

"Yeah, yeah." She grumbled. Len stood back up just in time to receive a punch to the face delivered by one of Ren's shadow fists. He felt the metallic taste of blood in his mouth afterward. Len sprinted toward him, sword extended, and he jumped out of the way of another incoming shadow. Lin turned around and Len jumped up, using one of the poles as a platform to boost himself off of, and landed next to her. She hit him in the face with the hilt of her sword, and he stepped back. He swung downward, to where she was, but she moved out of the way in time.

He growled as he was sent flying to the other side of the room yet again by Ren's shadow attack. He flew into a pile of wood, which toppled over on top of him as soon as he landed. He grunted. _Fuck my life...damn, the kid's becoming a real pain in my ass...I wonder why he hasn't completely surrounded me with those shadow things..._

 _Because, Len,_ Rei replied. _When you learn to control the shadows like Ren & Lin, it is not an easy task. You must focus on exactly how you want the shadow to move, every single one. It takes a whole lot of focus and willpower, and the fact that Ren & Lin can do it so easily and quickly makes them all the more dangerous. _Len got himself out of the small pile and stood. Lin was standing next to her brother now, looking tired and beat.

 _Oh dear. Looks like she's going back to attacking you with the shadows. Be cautious, Lenny boy._ Rei advised. Len eyed them. He paused, feeling something creeping up behind him. Whirling around, he swung down at the shadow. He turned around and fought a few more off, jumping and dodging. He was beginning to get tired. The dizziness wasn't helping, and Yohio's icicle-like vines were getting colder and colder, which was a very bad sign. He couldn't keep this up, and with the shadows coming from every direction like quicksilver, preventing him from getting close to the Haine twins, he was sure to tire out.

 _These motherfucking shadows...fuck my life..._ He thought. _I need to find a way to disable them..._ Rei snorted.

 _Oh, come on, Lenny boy!_ He said. Len scowled as he felt a shadow hand wrap around his wrist. Using his sword, he quickly cut it, but soon he felt another grabbing his ankle.

 _What?!_ He snapped.

 _Use that hot noggin of yours!_ Rei told him. _The solution's quite easy, you know!_ Len growled as he stepped back to avoid getting hit. A sharp point of the shadow cut him, however, underneath his eye, drawing blood. The one that wasn't eyepatched, that is.

 _My hands are kinda full right now, you piece of Italian shit!_ Len snapped back.

 _Rude!_ Rei scoffed. _Lets do some schoolwork- what causes a shadow?_

 _Light? A solid object?_

 _Correct you are, Mr. Boy Toy._ Rei said. _Light._ Len paused. Light...

He cast a glance at all the light in the room and it hit him. _I get it...if I take out all the light sources, then the shadows won't be a problem..._

 _Yup~_

 _But then I won't be able to see worth a shit._ He pointed out. _How the hell can I fight like that?_ Rei sighed.

 _I dunno, maybe you can retreat?_ He suggested. _It won't be pitch black. There's the moon and stuff like that outside._

 _But if there's light then there's shadows..._ He said. Len made a run for Lin. She made a few shadows come up towards him. He dodged them all and used them as platforms to jump on. He swung toward Lin, who got her sword out again and deflected the blow. Bringing his blade upwards to get hers out of the way, he made another stab but she jumped back. Len turned and cut a shadow that was headed right for him, then leaped back as Ren took out a dagger and tried to stab his shoulder.

"I do not like fighting physically like this. I much prefer using the shadows. But if you mean to hurt my sister, I will gladly do so." Ren growled. _True, there might be shadows, but if the lighting is dim, they're harder to control. The more light, the more power they have. It'll take far more concentration to move a shadow if the lights are dim._ Rei informed.

 _In that case..._

Len sprinted toward the small beacon and sliced it in half. The light from the beacon died out, making the room darker than before. Lin gasped. "What are you doing?!" She yelled. "Shit!" Len fell as he felt something tug at his ankle. Without hesitation, he cut the hand that held his foot and immediately got back to his feet. He cut through the last beacon. The only light in the room now was coming from the four lanterns.

Lin let out a yell as she charged toward the Kagamine. Swinging her sword about, it was fast, very fast. Even so, Len managed to deflect and dodge them anyways. He even managed to cut a deep cut into her side. She hissed as she dealt a successful blow to Len's thigh. She swung and aimed for his left arm, but he side stepped. He ducked another swing, rushed forward, and stabbed her foot. She gasped and dropped her sword, a whimper escaping from her throat. He raised his sword and swung down.

But another blade came in contact with his. Ren was holding Lin's sword, looking at him quite seriously. He grabbed Lin and jumped back, sword pointed to the Kagamine. "Lin." He said sternly. "Retreat. Use the escape mechanism."

"But I can't!" She protested. "We need to get cousin Rei back-"

"You are hurt." He said, eyeing her wounds. "You are bleeding a lot. You're in no condition to fight. Go. I'll take care of him." He ordered. Lin rolled her shoulders

"I-I don't have it...I used the last one in that fight with Ted..." She admitted. Ren reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small ball with a pin at the end of it. It was pure black, the Blackport symbol with the dragon trapped in a circle of flames in the middle of it. She looked hesitant to leave. _Now would be the perfect time to strike...they're off guard, in an emotional moment..._

 _...so why can't I bring myself to attack?_

"You have one, too, right?" She asked. Ren nodded, his eyes cold and steely.

"Yes. I have an extra. Now go." Lin bit her lip then looked down at the thing. She sighed before pulling the pin and throwing it to the floor. She was enveloped in black, as if they were the shadows that they used earlier to attack were shielding her. Eventually, when they evaporated, there was nothing left. It was just him and Ren now. Len turned back to him.

"That was your last one," He told him, "wasn't it?" Ren was quiet.

"Yes." He replied. Len tilted his head slightly.

"You gave your sister your last and only escape route?"

"Yes."

"You realize that now _you_ can't escape, right?"

"I am aware."

"Hmph." Len said. He held the sword a little tighter and circled Ren. "...Then you should probably escape now, while you can. I'll let you as long as you don't threaten innocent people." Ren blinked, then raised his sword.

"That sounds nice, but I'm afraid I must decline." He said. "We need you- we need _Rei_ now more than ever." Len raised his eyebrows.

"Oh? Why's that?" He asked. Ren set his jaw for a moment before speaking.

"I am ill." He announced. "We need the money for treatment, for I do not have much time left. I am not selfish- I couldn't care less if I died. It's the way of life. It was bound to happen one day, anyways. But Lin, however...I can't leave her yet. It's far too early. I'm ill to the point where I depend on my shadows in combat. I need to get stronger. I need to protect her. " Len was quiet for a moment, narrowing his eye. He gave Ren a chance to retreat, and he didn't take it. Whatever happened next was his fault and his fault alone.

He sprang forward and swung his sword toward Ren's neck. He put his sword up just in time, deflecting the blow, but the force sent him stumbling back. Len didn't give him any time to recover and again sprang forward. He swung and Ren stepped back just in time. The tip of Len's sword had cut Ren's cheek only.

Ren charged toward the Kagamine, his sword raised. He swung toward his already damaged side, and Len, seeing this, dove to the left and sprinted behind Ren. _He's wide open!_ Len thought. _Now's my chance!_ He swung his sword toward Ren's neck...

...and stopped right when the sword was about to make contact with his flesh. _What? Why can't I move? Why can't I... do it...?_ Ren elbowed Len in the face and he stumbled back, still shocked at the events that were supposed to occur but didn't.

 _He's willing to try and capture you head on for his sister. He gave his sister his last chance of escape._ Rei said. _That kind of love and protectiveness...it reminds you of yourself, especially two years ago when you made the choice that changed your life...does it not?_

Ren turned and swung at Len again. Snapping out of his small daze, Len stumbled back just in time. He wasn't severely injured, but the sword had cut the fabric of his shirt and even some of his skin, drawing a bit of blood. The vines wrapped around his arm was growing cold. _Fuck my life. I gotta end this._

Ren lunged toward him, extending the sword farther away from his body. Len ducked. He hit Ren's sword on the inside, tipped the point down, and slid the sword on the outside of the blade and jerked it towards him. The sword, as he thought, flew out of Ren's hands and landed a few feet away. Not giving him any time to do anything, Len lunged forward and, making sure that he wouldn't chicken out this time, plunged the sword through his gut.

Ren gasped lightly. Len cringed. He felt bad- why was that? Ren was just another opponent. It was self defense. It was his fault he's in this position. Len had tried to be merciful by giving him the opportunity to retreat, and he didn't take it. But even so... he felt like he just murdered a puppy. _Why is this feeling here?_ He asked himself.

Len pulled the sword out, and Ren clung to him for a moment. Len couldn't just push him away, for some reason. It wasn't that hard, so why wouldn't his limbs move? "O-Oi," He gurgled. He leaned back to look at Len, but instead ended up falling to his knees. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth, and blood stained his shirt. Len sank down to the floor with him. "Do-Don't go after Lin." He pleaded. "Please. I'm begging you. You can kill me, do anything. Just leave Lin alone." Len's breath hitched in his throat for a moment.

 _"Whatever you're gonna do to me, no matter how painful, do it! I don't care! Just don't touch Rin!"_

"Alright." He responded hoarsely. "I won't hurt her." Ren nodded toward him before the light in his gray eyes went out and he slumped over. Len stared at his body for a moment. Ren's dull and lifeless eyes stared up at him as the blood pooled around him. He reached over and closed Ren's eyes.

"Yohio." He said, voice trembling. Why was he so on edge? Why was his heart pounding? Was he going soft? "Detach." The icicle-like vines immediately went back to the sword. "Retreat, Yohio." Yohio morphed back into a ring at his command.

A wave of intense dizziness overcame him, so strong that he doubled over, gasping. Black spots danced in his vision and consciousness threatened to leave. _You've lost a lot of blood,_ Rei said softly. _Not only from Yohio, but from your wounds as well. You need to get treated or else you'll die. I'm trying to regenerate the blood loss inflicted by Yohio, but it's not doing much good._

 _But where can I go?_ Len replied wearily. _I can't go home. Rin can't see me- not like this._ Rei was quiet for a moment before answering.

 _IA._

* * *

 _ **Miku**_  
"Ha! Len? In a gang?" IA snorted. "No fuckin' way. The kid's... _Len_." IA waved her hand, as if that would prove her point. Miku pursed her lips. She couldn't get that conversation of hers out of her head all day, and when Rin called her saying that Len wasn't home yet...

...she got worried. "But...then where is he?" She asked IA. The blonde simply shrugged. She sat up straighter and leaned against her bedpost, eyebrows knit as if thinking deeply, her lips set in a frown.

"What do you mean?" She asked, tilting her head. Miku looked down at her hands and brought her feet up to the bed, sitting Indian style.

"Len left the house today at, like...about 4:00 and he hasn't been back since." Miku informed her. "Rin's pretty worried and asked if he was at my place. I thought that he might be here, but..." She trailed off. IA looked at her, squinting.

"Hm...I see..." She murmured. Miku raised her eyebrows at the blonde's suspicious look. "Say, I called Len around 4...did you happen to overhear the conversation?" Miku's heart pounded. She shook her head.

"No." She said a little too quickly. IA raised her eyebrows. "...Maybe." She admitted. "How did you know?" IA grinned.

"I didn't." She answered. "Just curious." Miku nodded slowly.

"So...what do you _think_ the conversation was about?" She asked. Miku shrugged. She didn't know if she should tell her that she thought that Len and IA were either gang members or drug dealers. It might offend her, and Miku didn't really want that.

"Um..."

"You can tell me, no matter how outrageous." She grinned and leaned closer. "Believe me, it won't be as crazy as the things I've heard and seen." Miku bit her lip.

"I, uhm...kind of thought that you guys were dealing drugs..." IA snorted and giggled. Miku scrambled for an excuse. "I- I mean he said that you'll get yourself killed so I figured it must be something dangerous like...uh, being in a gang or dealing with drugs...y'know..." Miku rolled her shoulders awkwardly. Saying it out loud sounded so much more ridiculous than when she had first brought it up.

"A gang?" She giggled. "No, no. We're not thugs, you know." She paused, seeming to contemplate something. "Well...not _that_ much. See, Len tends to over-exaggerate. I wasn't in a deadly situation or anything like that- I...er... _accidentally_ stole something from the store..." Miku scoffed.

"How do you _accidentally_ steal something?" She snorted. IA flicked a lock of blonde hair over her shoulder and huffed, crossing her arms.

"Hmph! You sound just like him!" She said. "It looked an awful lot like a possession of mine that I thought I left there."

"But he also said that you were the only one who knew what happened in the past 2 years..." Miku said. "What...does that mean?" For once, IA looked stumped. Her mouth opened then closed.

"It means exactly what it means." She said, finally.

"So you know what happened to him?" Miku asked, frowning. "What happened?" IA sighed.

"That, I cannot say." She mumbled. "Not my information to give." Miku bit her lip. So it _was_ true- she, and only she knew what happened? But why _her_? Why not the authorities? They must've questioned him on his absence- what did he say? Did he lie to them?

"Then...why did he tell you of all people?" She ended up asking. IA paused, as if thinking deeply. She sighed, leaning back and closing her eyes.

"You're a hardcore interrogator," She remarked, grinning playfully. "But still, it's not my place to tell. Lets just, for now, say that I'm capable of knowing because I know that he's not lying."

Before Miku could ask what the hell that meant, there was a noise from downstairs- the front door slamming open. IA stood up immediately, reaching for something under her pillow. "IA!" A familiar voice yelled hoarsely. IA frowned and got up, walking out of her room. Miku trailed after her, her heart pounding.

Len was by the closed door, his head down, looking like he could barely stand. There was a rip in his shirt at his stomach and side, as if someone had cut it with a sharp item. His skin was cut, too, and bled. He looked up. There was so much blood. Blood caked the side of his face, coming down from the top of his head. There was a cut under his eye that also had blood coming from it, and he bled from his mouth. He had a few scrapes, scratches, and bruises on his forehead and cheekbone. There was a long gash on his leg as well, and he was clutching his side, his hand dripping with blood. He was out of breath and pale.

"Len! What hap-"

"Ren & Lin Haine," He grunted as IA rushed over to him. She put his arm and her shoulders and guided him to the couch, where he collapsed. Miku would've helped if she weren't frozen in place.

"No way!" IA gasped. "T-The Shadow Twins?"

"Sh-Shadow Twins? Are you...okay, Le-Len? Do you need a h-hospital?" Miku finally stuttered. Len & IA stopped and looked up. IA paled a bit, and Len swore.

"Oh shit." He hissed. "Fuck my life." Len winced, biting his lip. It was then that Miku finally felt as if she could move. She flew down the stairs and sat next to Len, surveying his visible wounds.

"IA. Go get bandages, warm water, and antibiotics." She ordered. IA looked taken aback at Miku's sudden order, but shrugged.

"Aye aye, capt'n." She said. She hurried upstairs. Miku eyed the Kagamine's shirt, some areas soaked with blood, before tearing it off.

"O-Oi!" He hissed weakly. "I liked that shirt..." Miku grimaced looking at his wounds. Bruises and scrapes littered his torso, and on his midsection was a light cut, though it was still enough to draw blood. His shoulder was cut, too, and there was a deeper cut on his left side. Miku winced and gently grabbed his head in her hands. She pushed his bangs up to see how bad the cut on his head was. Fortunately, though it was bleeding, it wasn't too deep. Not deep enough to need stitches, thank God.

"L-Len...were you in a fight...?" She asked. He rolled his eye.

"No." He replied sarcastically. Miku frowned.

"Sh-Shut up. This is serious." She told him. Len shrugged.

"Sure is." He said. He rubbed his temple, looking a lot paler than before. His eye was squeezed shut and his breaths were shallow.

"Le-Len?" He paused to look at me wearily.

"You can't tell anyone about this," He said sternly. Miku bit her lip- how would she explain this to Rin? Lie? Miku didn't want to lie to her friend- she never liked being dishonest.

"But...Rin..." She trailed off. "Can't I at least tell Rin-" He grabbed her hand.

"No." He said. "Rin's the one that can never know about this." Miku didn't pull her hand away from his.

"Then...at least tell me what happened..." She demanded weakly. Len raised his eyebrow and chuckled weakly.

"Maybe later...in a thousand years..." He mumbled.

"But-"

"Just understand that it's for the best." He said. With that, his eyes closed and he fell back into the couch.

 **Fuck my life count: 8**

 **well damn a lot happened this chapter. sooo rei's cousins with the haine twins... len couldn't bring himself to kill ren right away because, according to rei, he saw a bit of himself in ren...miku saw len injured, uh oh, how's he gonna get himself outta this pickle...len did something for rin 2 years ago...what do you guys think it was?**

 **like im sure a lot of people already probably know because its heavily hinted but i mean**

 **comments greatly and hugely appreciated, so please please please comment on what you think of the chapter! also, this is my first time actually writing a sword fight scene, so im not sure if i did good or not? sorry if my lack of capitalization is bothering you.**

 **ciao~**


	17. Chapter 17

_**Len  
2 years earlier**_  
Len was nervous. He was shaking. He felt like throwing up the casserole he made for dinner that night. He wanted to curl up in a ball and forget about the whole situation. He didn't feel like crying, though, don't get it wrong. He was doing this for a good cause and he knew that. He was doing it to protect Rin.

He opened his notebook to the last page and read what he had written- the results of eavesdropping and lots of research. He stared at the words but they just seemed like a blur of incomprehensible writing. He couldn't focus with his mind jumbled and alert like this. He exhaled shakily and eyed the bow that Rin had given him that night by his request. _Pull yourself together, Len._ He told himself.

Calming down a bit, he glanced down, back at the page and read through the information to make sure it was correct. _Thursday, 2 a.m._ He nodded slightly before tearing out the page and ripping it into tiny pieces. Dumping half of it into the garbage can in his room, he went to the bathroom and threw the rest in the toilet then flushed it. He winced at the loud noise. He hoped Rin wouldn't wake up because of it.

He crept back into his room. His phone buzzed as he did so and he glanced at it. It was a text from Kaito. He wondered if he should read it or not. It was already 1:30 a.m, so he needed to get a move on.

Not only that, but he didn't want to make this any more difficult. Seeing Kaito and Rin and Neru and his mother would make it so much harder than it already was to do what he had to. He reached for his phone hesitantly and decided to read it.

 _aye lenny u ok man?_  
 _1:29_

 _bish i kno u read this so u better answer me or i s2g i will go to ur house and climb thru ur window n beat u up till u tell me whats wrong with u  
1:30_

 **Ha? I'm fine, you ice cream doofus. Y? Do I seem weirder than usual ;)  
1:30**

 _bru ur always weird like half the time idek if ur just having a seizure or dancing to some weird asian song or what  
1:30_

 **Shut your mouth! I'm amazing at dancing, you're just jealous of my skillz :P  
1:31**

 _a walrus having a spasm attack dances better than u man  
1:31_

 _idk bout u but i dont wanna look like a walrus that needs help?  
1:31_

 **Well maybe I like walruses having spasm attacks.  
1:32**

 _do u have a walrus fetish  
1:32_

 _do u need help bcoz i can pay for ur therapy  
1:32_

 _wait oh shit i shouldnt have mentioned that pls dont-  
1:33_

 **I. NEED THERAPY, LALALALA THERAPY~  
1:33**

 _when will u not do that  
1:33_

 **I will never not do that ;)  
1:34**

 **But ya rly I'm fine. I g2g actually, cya.  
1:34**

Len had let the conversation carry on longer than it really should have. His heart felt heavy as he stared at the screen for a moment. Will he ever see Kaito again? Will they ever have conversations like this ever again? Kaito was his best friend. He didn't know what he'd do without him. Kaito, despite being the goofy, happy idiot he was, was always there for Len through thick and thin. A sad smile spread on his face at the memories of Kaito sticking up for him and helping him through all his problems. He was about to turn his phone off when another text from Kaito came through.

 _y u lyin to me :'(  
1:35_

 **I'm not.  
1:35**

 _You always type shortcuts or use text slang when you're lying to me via internet. You've been spacing out a lot lately, you've been distant, not paying attention in class, and you've been disappearing a lot. Rin's worried, I'm worried, and even Neru admitted straight out that she's worried. Seriously, something's up. You can tell me, I'll help you whatever it is._

 _1:36_

Kaito was using correct spelling and set the joking aside. He was serious. Len bit his lip as he typed his reply. He could've just put his phone down and walked away, but he didn't. He felt like he should at least not make Kaito worry and assure him that he was alright, even though he was far from it.

 **Fine. There's this girl I really like and we've been seeing each other a lot. Happy? You're not worried anymore? Good. I'm going to bed, I'm tired, g'night.**

 **1:36**

He shut his phone off and set it back on the table. He'd wasted a lot of time already. Sighing and running his hand through his hair, he opened his drawer. Digging through all the stuff that was messily thrown in it, he dug until he found what he wanted. A syringe wrapped in a baby blue cloth. Taking out the syringe and wetting the cloth with a small bottle containing some kind of drug that should quickly knock someone out, he sighed shakily before tiptoeing out of his room.

Luckily, his mother was still at work by now, which meant she wasn't home yet. Len opened the door to Rin's room and watched her sleeping, peaceful form for a moment. His grip tightened on the syringe as he went forward.

He didn't want to do this.

He put the cloth over her nose and mouth.

He _really_ didn't want to do this.

She woke up and began to struggle, her eyes never once landing on him, since she was facing the opposite direction.

He'd give anything not to do this.

She stopped struggling.

But if it meant shielding Rin from harm, he'd do anything.

He pulled the cloth away and put it in the sweatshirt's pocket. Taking the syringe, he knelt down and stuck it in Rin's arm. He winced, and began to extract. However, the thing he was extracting wasn't blood.

Light, icy blue liquid pooled in the syringe, lighting the room just a small bit. Once it was nearly full and he was sure that was all, he pulled away. "I'm sorry, Rinny," He whispered. A tear escaped from his eye and he wiped it away. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Please forgive me. I love you."

He closed the bedroom door quietly behind him, his hands trembling so badly he was afraid that he'd drop the syringe and the contents would spill all over the floor. He walked to his room and sat down, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples. From sneaking into certain places, eavesdropping, lying to the cops and other significant people, he'd done it within two weeks and the task that he had just done was the hardest of them all because it was the last and most dangerous one he had to do to ensure her safety.

Len Kagamine has always yearned for an adventure, for something extraordinary to happen in his dull, mundane life. But now that he's gotten a tiny taste of it, he no longer wanted it. He'd rather have a cliche and boring life than none at all.

"Deep breath, Len," He told himself. "Calm down. You've got...about 15 minutes left...c'mon, pull yourself together..." Inhaling and exhaling deeply, he finally got a grip. He opened his eyes and stood up. He glanced at the mirror and gazed at himself. _Will it work?_ He thought somewhat uncertainly. He shook his head lightly. _Don't think of that yet, Len. It'll happen when it happens. They shouldn't be able to tell._

He walked over to his window and picked up the syringe and cloth. He cast a look around his room. He wondered if it was the last time he'd ever lay his eyes on it again. He hoped not. Grabbing the bow on his desk, he opened his window, jimmied out of it, closed it, and jumped down to the backyard. He glanced at the syringe before throwing it down to the concrete ground and stepping on it with as much force he could.

The contents spilled out into the pavement, silkily spilling everywhere for a moment, then evaporated into thin air. He watched the last of it disappear and kicked the rest of the glass away into the grass. He then discarded the rag, burying it in his mother's flower garden. After pulling the excess dirt on top of it and making sure that it was covered completely, he stood up again and walked to the pool.

The beautiful blue-green water sloshed quietly and seemed to glow in the dark night. The wind blew harshly and Len shivered. Despite wearing the sweatshirt, he still felt cold. He plunged his hands into the water and washed the remaining dirt off, then took them out and wiped the rest of the water on the sweatshirt.

He picked Rin's bow, which he had left on the ground, up and looked up at the sky as a small droplet of water dropped onto his face. The puffy clouds were dark gray and intimidating, but despite this, Len still smiled. He hopped over the fence, then looked up at the sky once more.

"Looks like it's gonna rain."

* * *

 _ **Present**_  
When Len woke, the only thing he was wearing was his boxers. He was in a bedroom that looked vaguely familiar. He soon identified it as IA's spare bedroom. Did that mean that he was at IA's? Did _she_ help him? Len wasn't sure if he should be worried or grateful. He kicked off the blanket- it was too hot. He yelped slightly when the rush of cool air came in contact with his bare skin. _What the...where the hell are my pants?!_ _Did someone undress me?_ He thought, blinking. _Oh, yeah...Miku. Shit...fuck my life._

As if on cue, the blue haired leek freak opened the door. Her hair was messy, unkempt, and her eyes slightly puffy and tired looking. She looked like she didn't get much sleep. Upon seeing him, her eyes softened and she sighed softly. "You're awake." Len rolled his eye. Thankfully, she kept his eyepatch on.

"No shit." He grumbled. Miku rolled her eyes and sat down next to him.

"Oh, shut up," She grumbled. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit." He responded. She frowned but said nothing. They were left in silence, neither of them knowing what to say to each other. "So...how's li-" he stopped, realizing that Miku wasn't paying attention. Her eyes were glued to his muscular, bruised chest instead. He snapped his fingers and waved his hand in front of her face, making her jump. "Hey, Princess, I know you're enjoying the view, but my eyes are up here." She blushed scarlet and looked away.

"So...what the hell happened?" She finally asked after an agonizingly quiet minute. _Fuck my life_. Len has been awaiting the dreaded question, and he still had no excuse to tell other than the truth, and like fucking _hell_ he was gonna do that.

"Nothing." _Brilliant excuse, Kagamine. You should get a gold fucking star for that amazing lie._ Of course the tealette didn't buy it. She glared at him and crossed her arms, shivering slightly.

"Obviously not! Those wounds...they were inflicted by a sword or knife or something. Not only that, but the bruises and scratches on your torso were pretty bad. You were in a fight against someone with malicious intent-"

"No, I was just engaging in a real fun tickle fest that got a bit too intense." Len sarcastically remarked. Miku ignored him.

"-But why? Did they take anything from you?" She asked.

"Yeah. They took my time and the chances of staying at home and stuffing my face with corn chips while watching some cheesy, retarded TV show like everyone else." She shot him a sharp look.

"Did they take anything _else_?"

"My liver."

Miku's eyes widened and her face grew pale. "W-Wait, _what_?!" She gasped. Len rolled his eye.

"I'm kidding, you dumbass." He grumbled. "Obviously I still have all my organs...I think..." Miku sighed and shook her head at the stubborn blonde. She looked up at him and swept her hair out of her eyes, scowling.

"Damn it, can't you answer my questions seriously?" She growled. "I have a right to know what the hell's going on-"

"Do you, now?" Len said, raising his eyebrow in disbelief. She thought she had a right to know? She should never be involved with anything remotely similar to the whole situation he was in. She was too...delicate. He wouldn't say sensitive- she could definitely handle some extreme things, depending on what they are. But if Blackport were to find out that she was involved in all of this, along with Len, they'd use her as blackmail material. Or even worse, kill her. Len had lost a lot of things- his innocence, ignorance, the ability to live the rest of his life normally, and even a few important people. He wasn't ready to lose another loved one. "I think not."

"I do!" She snapped. "You come here, bloody, beat, and on the verge of passing out with wounds that suggest a very severe fight! I patched you up more than once, and each time, something real fucking crazy has happened! Last time when I first met you some guy tried to fucking kill us while saying something about this 'Blackport' place, and not only that, but he kept calling you the 'Devil's Dog.' What the everloving hell did that mean?!" She paused for a breather, and Len opened his mouth to say something, but Miku shushed him immediately, putting her finger to his lips.

"You be quiet! I'm not done yet," She ordered. He obeyed as she continued her rant. "And- And now, it's something about these so-called 'Shadow Twins' and apparently they're legendary? And after you passed out you kept mumbling 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry' and 'please forgive me.' What was that about? Oh, did I tell you that there was a lot of blood? Well, there was! Lots of it! There was so much, and do you know how afraid I was? I was so scared, Len. I thought- I thought I lost you for a minute..." Her voice trailed off to a whisper.

Len paused. Was it really that bad? He watched as Miku's eyes became teary and her hands clenched into fists. _Oh shit, is she about to cry?_ The thought immediately sent Len into a panic mode. At first, Miku seemed furious and fierce- something he can handle. Of course, he'd probably end up unintentionally making her angrier, but at least he didn't feel like an asshole. But now Miku was on the verge of tears. Len didn't know how to deal with crying girls and unwillingly felt a twinge of guilt knowing that he was the cause for her tears. _Oh...fuck my life..._

"Uh- um- er, don't cry!" He tried, forcing his voice to remain calm, though it did no good- he sounded like a panicked passenger of a ship being attacked by the Kraken. He watched helplessly as she choked back a sob, the tears in her eyes almost overflowing. _Oh fucking shit, how do I do this?!_

He put his hands up and scratched the back of his head nervously. "H-Hey, you were right, I was wrong, okay?!" That didn't seem to have much of an effect. _What- I thought women love to hear that they were right?!_ He thought. He decided to try another tactic. "Um- you can have my lunch for a week...?" _What the fuck?!_ He thought. _No fucking way I just said that- I'll be starving all day! Ugh...as long as it works..._ Miku's shoulders shook and she sniffed. "Two weeks?" No effect. "A month?!" _Fuck my life._

He watched as teardrops rolled down her cheeks seemingly nonstop, her eyes squeezed shut as she let out small, shaky breaths. Len, deciding that he had no other choice, grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. He awkwardly patted her back as she sobbed into the shoulder that wasn't injured. "Um...there, there..." He awkwardly said. She sniffled.

"I think you should tell her," IA suggested from the doorway, quietly. He looked up. She didn't tease him about comforting the tealette, but instead looked solemn and quite serious. "Last night, things weren't looking good. We almost lost you. Miku was hysterical. She stayed the whole night and wouldn't leave your side. Wouldn't eat either. Had to force her. She should really know what's going on." Len sighed softly. IA, too? Did she not see the consequences that would follow? The danger he'd be putting Miku in?

"If she knew everything-"

"Then don't tell her everything." She interrupted. "Tell her only the details of that night. The whole thing- she isn't ready for that yet." Len sighed and closed his eyes, weighing the options, then finally nodded slightly. Miku had done a lot for him, though she didn't know it, and the least he could do is owe her the explanation she wanted so much.

"I'll leave you to it, then." IA walked away swiftly, closing the door gently and quietly, leaving only Len and Miku in the room.

"So..." Len cleared his throat awkwardly. "Do you, uh...wanna know?" She nodded against his shoulder. She hadn't let go of him yet and he hadn't let go of her, either.

"So...Ren & Lin Haine...they're siblings who were trying to capture me. They're quite, uh, famous for their...attacks. Things got rough but I got out." Miku sniffed.

"Why...why were they trying to capture you?" She asked. Len hesitated before answering.

"I...can't say." He told her. "If I did...there'd be consequences and I don't want you to face them." Miku's breathing has returned to normal at this point, and she had stopped shedding her tears.

"B-But-"

"Please, Miku." He quietly pleaded. "Don't make me lose you, too." The words slipped out without his consent, and he found himself regretting it. She was quiet.

"Fine." She whispered. "Just this once I'll let it slide." Her grip on him tightened and she sighed softly, her breath tickling Len's skin as she rested her head on his chest. He relaxed slightly and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Thank you."

 **So you guys got to see a glimpse of the night Len disappeared...what do you think he was doing? What was that stuff he extracted from Rin? Why do you think he destroyed it, and where do you think he headed off to, and to do what? How do you think he was 'shielding' Rin from harm? Comment what you think Len was doing that night and why!**

 **If you got that reference Len made to Kaito yoU'RE MY BEST FRIEND EVER I S2G**

 **Also Miku's emotional in this chapter, but who can blame her? I mean if you saw the love of your life- I MEAN CLOSE FRIEND AHAHAHAHAHHAH- bleeding out and nearly die in front of you I think you'd be pretty fucked up. But maybe that's just me idk**

 **And holy shit I wrote all this in one day, I need a life. I'm just showering you guys with updates, sorrryyyy . I love this fanfiction a lot. Anyways, comments are greatly appreciated, so if there's anything you want to say about the chapter, just comment (I sound so desperate, don't I?)**

 **Ciao~**


	18. Chapter 18

_**Len**_  
It was the Leek Freak's birthday.

Although Len used to make a big deal out of birthdays, he didn't necessarily get why they were such a big deal nowadays. You were born that day. Yay. Good for you. You're getting older and you're taking a step closer to death. Isn't that exciting? Len wasn't sure that was something you should be excited for.

But despite this, Len knew that Rin and Miku thought birthdays to be special, and he wasn't up to dealing with a pissed off Rin who was upset that he didn't get Miku anything. "This for a special someone?" The florist, a girl about a year younger than Len with long light blonde hair with rainbow highlights at the bottom and pale amber eyes, asked as she handed Len the bouquet. Her nametag read 'Mayu.' "She must be one lucky girl..." Len shook his head.

"No, it's just for my friend's birthday." He informed. She chuckled and opened the cash register, grabbing a few coins.

"Yeah, okay." She said skeptically. She opened her hand and offered Len the coins. He shook his head again.

"Keep the change." He said. She raised her eyebrows but but the coins back in the cash register anyways. Len turned and began to walk away.

"Good luck wooing her!" She called. Len snorted.

"I don't need it because it's not like that!" He called back. He paused once he was outside of the shop. He could've sworn he saw a splash of teal in the crowd of dull colors. His suspicions that it was Miku was confirmed when he caught sight of her brightly colored hair in their usual pigtails. He gave a small sigh. _Might as well get this over with._

He followed Miku, but he was never quite able to catch up to her. It turned out that she was headed to the park, which was devoid of any people except for someone standing under a large cherry blossom tree. Len paused, then took out the leek he bought at the grocery store and placed it in the middle of the bouquet. Miku was obsessed with leeks, it was no secret. Women also liked flowers, so why not combine them both? Len looked up as Miku walked toward the person. _Wait...is that Kaito?_ Len thought, stopping momentarily. _Are they meeting up or something?_

He watched as they conversed, Kaito seeming nervous. Kaito scratched the back of his head and took something out of his pocket. It was a piece of paper, folded neatly. Miku took it from him gingerly, opened it, and read it. Len was tempted to come closer to see what the hell they were doing, but something told him that if he'd do that he'd ruin everything. So he stayed in place. _Fuck my life... he's doing it, isn't he?_

He didn't know why he stayed. Only losers spied on people. Sure, Len was a loser, but he wasn't _that_ much of one. Len paused as Kaito, blushing like mad, said something quite loudly, loud enough for Len to hear.

" _I like you!_ "

Len could've sworn his heart stopped beating. He didn't necessarily know why. Perhaps it was the thought of change. He wasn't a big fan of change and the drastic, brutal one that occurred two years ago did nothing to help. If Miku and Kaito started dating, then what kind of effect would that have on their friendship? But even so, there was something more. Something so deep down that the thought didn't even occur to Len.

He watched with a, surprisingly, racing heart as Miku and Kaito exchanged words for a minute. Then Miku stood up on her tiptoes, cupped Kaito's cheek, and brought his lips to hers. Len couldn't believe it. He watched Kaito wrap his arms around Miku's waist, bringing her closer. _I want to look away so badly...so why are my eyes glued to that scene...?_ A strange and unpleasant, unfamiliar feeling settled in his chest. That pain- what was it? Why was it there? What did it mean?

Len felt sick and confused. Turning around and forgetting all about the bouquet he held, he walked away as quickly as he could, wanting to get away from the scene.

* * *

"Len?" IA said, frowning. "What're you- oi!" Len barged in without bothering to wait for permission. IA shut the door and turned to look at him, her sharp gaze faltering upon seeing his facial expression. "What happened, Kiddo?" She automatically asked. Len shook his head and snorted, obviously trying to get rid of the hurt evident on his face.

"Nothing." He said, waving it off. That strange feeling hadn't worn off like he thought it would, but when he left, it stung a little less. He didn't know what it was, and he wasn't too pumped on finding out. Stupid emotions.

"Who's that for?" IA asked, nodding toward the bouquet. He paused, looking down at it. He'd almost forgotten about it. Without thinking, he shoved it in her hands.

"You." He replied. She raised her eyebrows at him. "Shut up and take it."

"That's thoughtful of you, Lenny boy..." IA said, taking out the leek in the middle. "But it's a certain leek lover's birthday today...this was for her wasn't it?" She gave him an accusatory gaze. Len crossed his arms and stared back.

"Something happened with Miku," She told him softly. "I can see it on your face." _Quick. Wipe your face clean of those stupid emotions. Say your alright. Do it. Smile if you have to. Say it. Say you're fine._

"I'm fine." Len scoffed. _I'm so pathetic._ IA glared.

"What's bothering you?"

"You."

"What else?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me."

"Fuck off."

"You're the one in my house."

"Fair point."

"Pleaaase tell me-" Len cut her off with a frustrated noise.

"Feelings!" He snapped after an agonizing minute. "Just...can I use your backyard?"

* * *

It was really pathetic how something so petty, so unimportant bothered Len so much. He's led a brutal massacre once, he's done so many horrible things that he was surprised Satan himself didn't come up and drag him down to hell where he belonged, he even burned a fucking village down, so why was some girl kissing his best friend such a bad thing?

Why won't the aching feeling in his chest just go away already?

Maybe it was a medical condition. He probably needed to see a doctor or something. _I know what it is and it's no health condition,_ Rei said sympathetically. Len squinted slightly at the floor. He was on his -what, hundredth push-up? Somewhere around there- but even so, the feeling hadn't eased at all.

 _Yeah? Humor me._ Len got up. Push ups obviously weren't working. Perhaps chin ups would work. He'd been working out nonstop ever since he got to IA's. He needed to stay in shape. He needed to get stronger. He'd probably be incredibly sore tomorrow, but he wouldn't mind.

 _Heartbreak._ Rei's suggestion was so preposterous that Len nearly snorted aloud. Heartbreak? Over what? He most definitely didn't like Miku in that kind of way. She was like a...what was she to him? A sister? Close friend?

 _I'm pretty sure guys don't look at their sister's boobs unless they're seriously messed up,_ Rei snickered. Len nearly choked on air.

 _I don't look at her boobs!_ Len furiously snapped. Rei tutted.

 _Have you forgotten that I can see what you see, Mr. Boy Toy?_ Rei reminded with a giggle. _I know for a fact that your eyes have wandered to many different places. Not that I mind or anything._

 _It's not like I can help it._ Len excused. There was really no point in lying to Rei anymore- he did have a point. Besides, Len was a guy. Sometimes he can't help where his eyes wander.

 _Ha. That's what I thought._

 _Oh, shut up you-_

"Len?" A familiar voice tenderly called. The feeling in his chest grew. Oh shit. _Fuck...my life..._

Len paused to glance at the source. Miku stood by the door, watching him curiously, holding the bouquet Len planned to give her. If possible, that strange feeling intensified 10 times. It seemed like she was the source, but why? He went back to his chin ups. He found himself not wanting to look at her. That was a first.

 _The fuck did I tell you, you potato?_ Rei snorted. _Heartbreak!_

 _Shut up._ Len replied sourly, pushing him away. He didn't need Rei making little comments. He wasn't really up to it right now. Well, he was never up to it, but now more so than ever.

"What?" He replied. Miku blinked.

"Are you...okay?" She asked.

"Peachy." He answered.

"IA says you've been out here for nearly three hours...don't you think you should take a break?" Len kept his eyes trained on the bar as he pulled himself up, his chin touching the top of the bar.

"No." Was his curt reply. Miku raised her eyebrows and stepped toward him.

"Are you mad?" She asked cautiously. Len would typically spurt out some sarcastic, tough guy response while giving her a look, his bitch face in position. But his responses were short, as if he didn't want to speak with her, and he barely looked at her. He was acting...coldly.

"No." He grunted. "Why?" Miku pursed her lips.

"It's just that..." She trailed off and sighed. "Nevermind." She stood there for a minute, and they were left in silence. Len did his best to ignore her, but he could feel her stare on the back of his head.

 _I betcha she's looking at that ass,_ Rei whispered. Len nearly scowled.

 _Since when did you get back so quickly?_ Len asked. Rei ignored his question.

 _I wouldn't blame her, though, you really do have a nice booty._

 _Ugh. Ew. You're so gay, you know that?_

 _I'm fabulous. Know the difference._

"Uhm...thanks for the flowers."

"What?"

"The flowers." Miku repeated, gesturing to the bouquet. "It's really pretty...the leek was a nice touch, too. Bet you thought it'd be fitting to give the supposed leek freak a leek, hm?" She said, attempting to spark conversation. She smiled weakly.

"Mhm."

"So...IA said that you were acting weird...I was kinda worried so I came down here. What's the matter?"

"IA's not right in the head." He grumbled. "Nothing."

"You really should take a break. We should probably get going."

"You go. I'm staying."

"Why?" She asked.

"Just go."

* * *

Len eventually persuaded Miku to leave without him and shortly after she left, when it was dark enough to see the stars, he decided to stop before he collapsed from exhaustion. His grey T-shirt was soaked with sweat, and his bangs stuck to his forehead and the side of his face. He definitely needed to shower when he got home. _Fuck my life...I didn't bring a spare shirt, did I?_

IA wrinkled her nose when she saw him. "Ew. You're all sweaty and gross." Len rolled his eye and snorted.

"Gee, thanks." He scoffed. "Flattering." IA eyed the sweatstains on his shirt and his exhausted appearance.

"You're not going out in public like that, are you?" She asked him, raising her eyebrow as if she disapproved of the idea greatly. Len gave her a blank look.

"I don't have a spare shirt." He replied. IA rolled her eyes and went up the stairs, returning after a few minutes with a shirt that was probably at least three sizes larger than Len's size. It was black with the white silhouette of two characters- one with some kind of cloak and braid, and the other much taller, most likely a suit of armor- with the words ' _Fullmetal Alchemist'_ printed at the top. He raised his eyebrows.

"Ah, shut up." She said, handing it to him. "It's a guy shirt and fucking huge, but I found it and really liked it so I kept it. They serve as nice pajamas, but I'm willing to lend it to you for the sake of everyone that'll be forced to look at you on the streets." Len rolled his eye.

"Oh, stop. I'm blushing." He sarcastically said. He grasped the bottom of the shirt he was currently wearing and began to tug it upward when IA put her hand on his wrist.

"Whoa, Tiger." She said. "As much as I'd love to see your amazing abs, I think you should take a shower first. You smell like anger, hormones, and sweat." He raised his eyebrow.

"Shower?" He said, skeptically. " _Here_?" _Agh...fuck my life_ , He thought. Showering at a friend's house? Specifically one that constantly hit on you? Yeah, he didn't trust her. IA rolled her eyes and snorted.

"What's with that face?" She scoffed. "I'm no peepin' Tom!"

"No. You're a peeping _Tam_."

"No way!" She said, crossing her arms. "I'll be down here, by the way. Now, hurry up. It's almost 7." Len rolled his eye. There was really no point in arguing with her. Besides, he _did_ need a shower. With a small sigh, he trudged up the stairs and into the bathroom. The bathroom had an earthy feel. The walls were large format tiles of white honed travertine and the floor was made of dull brown tiles. The vanities were of a dark wood and the counters were a brilliant white quartz. There was no bath but instead a huge walk in shower with a glass sliding door. Surprisingly, it was quite roomy. Len closed the door and locked it (he didn't trust IA while he was in the shower, naked.) He took his hair tie out of his hair and his hair came down, framing his face and grazing the top of his shoulders.

He took his eyepatch off and paused, gazing at himself in the mirror. The grim reminder of who he was and his purpose stared back at him. Deciding that staring at it and wishing that it'd go away wouldn't do anything, he turned away and stripped down, hanging his clothes on the towel rack.

 _Why would you wish it away? It makes you look hotter._ Rei whined.

 _Because, unfortunately, it comes with_ you _._ Len turned the water on and stepped in the shower, steam already beginning to fog up the room.

 _Good God, do you always shower in water as hot as this?_ Rei asked distastefully. Len tilted his head back and closed his eyes, massaging his scalp with shampoo.

 _Yeah. Just preparing for the flames of Hell._ He answered. Rei sighed at Len's remark but ignored it anyways.

 _So, about that Miku-_

 _Fuck. Off._ Len growled, attempting to push Rei back. Of course, it didn't work.

 _Lenny, I thought you would've learned by now,_ Rei chided. _Without that troublesome patch over there, I'm stronger. Not strong enough to take your body yet, but still a tad stronger. Now. Since, as you know, when you lock me up like that, I can't always see what's going on. Why were you so cold toward Miku today, hm? What is it that you saw? I won't tell a soul because I don't have a physical body to do that with, so..._

 _Why the hell would I tell you?_

 _Because what can I even do? It gets boring here, you know!_ Rei whined. _I can't talk to anyone but you and I'm basically locked in a cell. Besides, I wanna crack the case. What did you see Miku doing when you began to feel, as you say, the "medical condition?"_ Len rolled his eyes. Rei was annoying, but if he didn't tell him, it'd get even worse. He had nothing to hide anyway- he'd be lying, however, if he wasn't curious as to what Rei would say.

 _Fine. Kaito confessed to her. She kissed him. Happy?_ Rei was quiet for a moment, then he answered.

 _So you don't know what it is that's making you feel this way?_ He asked, slowly.

 _I haven't got a clue._ He replied honestly. He knew that she must at least be connected to the source of the discomfort, but he didn't exactly know what it was that triggered it.

 _Sweet Jesus, have mercy. You really_ are clueless! _Obviously, you're jealous and heartbroken!_ Len snorted.

 _Again with the heartbreak?_ He replied as he turned the faucet off. _Listen. I do not like her that way. I probably never will-_

 _Probably!_ Rei screeched so loudly that it made Len's head pound. _Ha! Probably! So there_ is _a chance!_

 _For fuck's sake-_

 _I can't believe this! I knew it! I diddly darn called it! You're in love!_ Len scowled as he dried himself off with a beige towel. Rei always overreacted over little things, if not nothing at all.

 _Fuck my life. Rei, you little piece of fucking shit, you overreact over every fucking thing. For once in your damn pathetic life, get this through your thick-ass skull: It. Is. Not. Like. That._ He growled. Rei was quiet for a moment before replying.

 _I think a song will express what I think. Wanna hear it?_ He asked.

 _No._

 _Miku and Len sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!_ Rei sang. _First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes hot se-_

Len, fed up with Rei's bullshit, reached over, grabbed the eyepatch, and put it back on. He wasted no time pushing Rei back and was rewarded with sweet silence afterward. With a small sigh and headshake, he grabbed the black shirt IA had given him and put it on, along with his other clothes minus the sweaty grey shirt. Not sure what to do with that, he draped it over his shoulder as he grabbed his hair tie and pulled his hair back into a ponytail. Unlocking the door, he stepped out and walked down the stairs.

IA poked her head out from the kitchen. "I'll wash the shirt for you," She said. "Put it on the couch or something. Nice shower?" Len draped the shirt on the couch's armrest with an eyeroll.

"Would've been nice if Rei would shut the fuck up." He grumbled. IA snickered.

"He's a chatterbox, I assume? At least you have someone to talk to when you decide to be a loner and sulk in your room because you don't want to socialize with anyone." Len glared.

"Who said I do that?" He scoffed. She grinned.

"Rin told me that when her parents threw parties, you'd always stay in your room the whole time and pretend to be asleep." Len's face soured at the mention of his parents. His father was a good man, but it's not like he was really there. He was usually traveling until one day he never came home. Airplane crash. Only a handful of survivors. Len's father, Yohio- now that he thought about it, it was strange that the sword he was bound to shared the name of his father, but it was most likely a coincidence, since Len's grandmother grew up in Italy- was not one of those survivors.

"Yeah. Well, I'd better get going. Cya." He said, heading for the door. Before he could put his hand on the knob, IA interrupted him.

"Wait. C'mere." She said, beckoning him to the kitchen. He sighed but walked in nonetheless.

"What no-" He stopped short as soon as IA opened a bottle of something that smelled strongly of alcohol and began pouring it into two small cups. "What the fuck are you doing?" He asked, puzzled. She looked up.

"What, never had a drink before?" She asked, seemingly amused. Len scoffed and crossed his arms. Was she crazy? A drink? Before Blackport, he was a goody-two-shoes without a bad bone in his body. When he had gotten over the 'good-boy' act, he was practically imprisoned and was hellbent on a way to escape. So of _course_ he's never had a drink before.

"No." He settled with. "Where the fuck did you even get that?" She grinned toothily.

"I have my ways," She chirped. "My own, special, secret ways...don't question them."

"We're not supposed to be drinking." He stated. IA snorted. "We're underage."

"Yeah. Homicide, even for a good reason, is illegal as well but that didn't stop either of us, did it?" She questioned. She put her elbows on the table and her chin in her palm, watching him intently. "It's probably a one time thing for you and it won't do any harm." Len nearly scoffed aloud.

"I'm tired. I'm gonna go home. Cya." He told her, rolling his eye as he turned to leave.

"I know you're hurting." IA told him quietly. Len stopped and IA continued. "It has to do with Miku. You were so cold with her, like you wanted her to go away. You looked...like you just saw the world you know and love crumble and die beneath your feet. Like your sun has extinguished and you lost all hope."

"That's a little overdramatic," He muttered. "I don't-"

"-Know what I'm talking about. I know, I know, you gotta keep up the tough guy act, yadda yadda yadda. Just sit down and have a drink with me." He rolled his eye. Alcohol, as he learned, ruined one's body. Not only physically, but sometimes mentally as well. He'd rather not end up as an alcoholic.

"Why would I do that?" He asked her, crossing his arms. IA was quiet for a moment before she responded.

"It makes you feel as if you haven't got a care in the world. As if you're carefree and have nothing to worry about. As if the heavy burden you've been carrying on your shoulders has been lifted. It's only an illusion, but a pretty nice one. It...makes the pain go away, if only temporarily." An image of IA cradling a beer bottle, many more littered on the floor, a broken smile on her tearstained face as she drank her worries away. _She speaks as if from experience,_ Len thought. _Could it be she's an ex-alcoholic, or at least someone who drinks their problems away?_

"Thanks but no thanks." He said. "I'd rather not, and you shouldn't either." He was the doorway of the kitchen, but was yet again stopped in his tracks when IA called to him.

"You chicken?" He turned to give her a withering glare.

"What was that?" Len growled. Nothing got to him more than someone calling him a coward. He'd done what most would piss their pants just thinking about. He'd risked so much, he _willingly_ got himself kidnapped knowing full well that the dark place he was headed was every man's nightmare, hell, he even has the guts to hunt down the people that are trying to hunt him, and they dare call him a coward? Perhaps it was his ego, but he just couldn't stand it when he was accused of being a coward.

"I _said_ , are you a chicken?"

"Hell no!" He snapped. "I'm not afraid to drink- I just don't want to!" She gave him a skeptical look. She cupped her hand around her ear.

"Hey, do you hear that?" She paused for a moment then began to make a chicken noises. "What's that- is that a chicken I hear? Or is it _you_?"

"I am _not_ a chicken!"

"Prove it."

"IA, you've seen me kidnap and kill Teto fucking Kasane. Do you know how dangerous she is, with those fucking hurricanes she throws? Very."

"But are you brave enough to take a drink?"

"Taking is drink is easy, you don't even need bravery to do that-"

"Prove it."

 _Oh, fuck my life._ With a frustrated sigh, deciding that one little drink wouldn't completely fuck up his life, he went forward, grabbed the glass, and drank the contents all in one go. It's just one little drink. It wasn't like anything bad was gonna happen.

Wrong.

* * *

 _ **Miku**_  
Someone was trying to get in Miku's house. Grabbing a book from next to her bed with her phone clutched in her other hand, she got up slowly and crept down the hall. She didn't necessarily want to call the police until she knew _for sure_ that someone was posing a threat to her. She heard the door swing open quietly, making almost no noise except for a small and quiet _creek_.

Someone lumbered in noisily with a grunt, headed towards where she was, around the corner. In a panic, she jumped out from her hiding place and smacked the person in the face. Though the book wasn't a hardcover, the person fell to the ground anyways with a grunt. Miku turned on the lights. "Ow..." The person muttered. Miku blinked, holding the book defensively, as her eyes adjusted to the light. She looked down at the person, who clumsily stood to his feet as he rubbed his forehead. "That hurt..." Len said, frowning.

"Len?" She hissed. "What the hell are you doing in my house?" After his cold attitude toward her that day, she thought that maybe he was pissed at her for something. But usually when Len got pissed at someone, he confronted them about it. Miku could never fathom the blonde's actions, as much as he wanted to. She'd be lying if she said it didn't sting, because it did. For some odd reason it did. Perhaps it was because she was so used to and oddly comforted by his presence that having him not be his usual snarky, snappy, sassy self toward her because she fucked up somehow screwed her up. She noticed that he was wearing a different shirt, one that was far too big for him. It obviously wasn't his. He blinked blearily.

" _Your_ house?" He slurred. "This is _my_ house! Wait...so whaddya doing in my house then? Are you..." He gasped, eye wide. "A burger?!" As if seeing Len so...strange wasn't weird enough, he added to it by calling her a _burger_.

"A burger?" She scoffed.

"No." He said. "A burger."

"That's what I just said."

"No...a...a burglar!" He said triumphantly after a minute. "That was so hard to say...phew!" His prideful face melted into one of distress and fear. "Did you steal Mr. Loid?!" Miku blinked, then sighed. Was he drugged? _Drunk_?

"Who's that?" She asked. He tilted his head and scratched the back of his neck.

"A bear m'dad gave me." He said. "I really like it! I like a lot of things...but I hate a lot of things...but I like them...but I also hate them...hm..." He frowned, scrunching up his face as if he were deep in thought. Miku rolled her eyes.

"Miku, you look like trash." He suddenly said seriously. Miku scoffed and shot him a glare. _Even when he's drunk-_ "Can I take you out?" Miku choked on nothing.

"That-That's's s-so incredibly ch-cheesy!" She stuttered. Insulting and cheesy, sure, but it still made her smile nonetheless.

"Cheesy...like Swiss cheese?" He asked blinking. "I like cheese...cheese is nice...I think I have a cheese fetish..." The odds of him being drunk were through the roof. She grabbed his face and brought it closer to hers.

"Are you gonna kiss me?" He slurred. Miku's suspicions were confirmed when she smelled the alcohol on his breath. "You're really pretty so I guess I wouldn't mind..." Miku rolled her eyes.

"You're drunk," She grumbled. " _Why_ are you drunk?"

"Really! You're super pretty!" He continued. "When I first met you I was like, 'woaaahh she's pretty! How do I talk to her?' But I dunno how to act around pretty girls anymore...so now I'm sad..." Miku rolled her eyes as he stumbled to the kitchen. Miku scrambled after him.

"Hey! What're you doing?" She asked him. He was in the middle of drawing a very bad smiley face on an apple.

"I wanted to make the apple happy!" He told her, grinning. _Whoa. He's smiling. Weird._ Miku sighed and took the marker from his hands as he burst into a random fit of laughter.

"Apples don't have emot- gah!" She shrieked as soon as she felt herself being lifting up by Len, who trapped her in a hug and swung her around.

"Love me!" He screeched randomly before putting her down and running of somewhere else. Miku, taken aback by his actions, stood there for a moment before charging after him.

"Come back here!" She yelled. "Ugh..." Dealing with a drunk Len was harder than expected. He was so different than he usually was. He seemed...happier? _He's a happy drunk?_ Miku thought. _Strange. I thought he'd be type of drunk that'd fight a tree because it was just standing in his way._

When she found Len, he squeaked and hid behind a lamp. "I can see you." She sighed.

"No you can't." She rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm. He pouted as she led him to the couch. She sat him down, and he took something out of his pocket. "Oh no...did I lose it?" He frowned, then his face brightened with a happy smile as he took something out of his pocket. He opened his hand and presented a rock to her. She raised her eyebrows, but took it nonetheless.

"Er...thanks...?" She said, setting it on the table next to her. He giggled.

"It's a present 'cause you looked sad when you left! I don't like seeing people I like sad." _Sad? Did I really look...sad?_ She thought. Len had barely even glanced at her that afternoon. Before she can reply, he said something else.

"Y'know, I reaaaaaally love you a lot, Miku. Rin and Kaito and IA, too! You're all so awesome. I mean, I don't really show it 'cause I'm like soooooo awkward with emotions and stuff so yeah. Y'know that, right? 'Cause I was acting super...uhh...what was the word again? Freezing? Icy? Oh, yeah! Coldly! So anyways, I was acting like, super coldly towards you and I dunno why! I forgot. Maybe because it was too hot outside and I thought you guys needed to cool off or something. I dunno." He paused, squinting. He snapped his fingers.

"Oh yeah! It's cause I wasn't feeling good here-" He patted his stomach, then frowned. "Wait...that's not right...I think it was 'cause I got a rumblies in my tummy like always...oh, it was here!" He pointed to his chest, specifically his heart. Miku's eyes widened. His heart was hurting? Didn't that signify heartbreak? Who was it that hurt him? _I'll kill them-_

"Like, it was super uncomfortable. I think it was emotions...or….or something like that...emotions…that's such a weird word...I'm not good with emotions... but yeah! I just wanted you guys to know that, no matter how freez-y I act towards you guys sometimes, I reaaaaaally like you all! Plus, you're super amazing and I like you lots. G'night." Before Miku could ask any more questions, he was out like a light.

* * *

 _ **Len**_  
When Len woke, he was greeted with a horrible pounding, aching headache, a dry mouth and the all too familiar feeling of thirst, an upset, churning stomach, and no memory of the night before. Oh, and he was in a room he didn't recognize. He tried to sit up, but his extremely sore limbs refused to move and he ended up awkwardly rolling over and falling to the floor with a groan. _Fuck my life. I knew I should have only taken one drink..._

"Son of a bitch..." He groaned. "I'm never drinking again..." He looked up and hissed. Sunlight streamed through the window, making the room seem too fucking bright for the hungover Kagamine. _Fuck my life._ He shakily stood to his feet and leaned against a wall for support, rubbing his temple, hoping to calm his raging headache.

He was faced with a problem far worse than his headache when he found himself about to puke the contents of whatever food he had in his stomach. He stumbled through the halls, hoping to find a bathroom and forgetting that he was in some random person's home and he'd probably wake them up. Finally- thank God- he found a bathroom and, falling in front of the toilet, he puked whatever the hell he had for dinner the night before up. He clutched the side of toilets and heaved when there was nothing left to throw up. _Fuck. My. Stupid-ass. Life._ He thought miserably. He felt a hand pat his back gently, and he turned to look at them.

He found out it was Miku. Momentarily forgetting the ache in his chest, he hoarsely asked, "What the fuck happened last night? Also, got any Advil?" Miku pursed her lips.

"You tell me," She grumbled. "Finished puking?" Len paused. His stomach felt...well, empty, but he didn't really feel like eating.

"I think so..." He replied as Miku helped him up. "Ugh...why am I in your house?" Miku sat him down on the couch and headed back to the kitchen.

"You broke in thinking that it was your house." She informed him, rolling her eyes as she searched the medicine cupboard for Advil. When she finally found it, she opened the bottle and took a pill out.

"Oh." Was all Len said. _Fuck my life...why'd I have to go here of all places?_ Miku gave him the pill, which he gratefully took and swallowed with a swig of water. She put the glass on the table next to the couch, where, for some odd reason, a rock lay. Miku caught him staring at the rock with a puzzled expression and she rolled her eyes.

"You gave that to me as a present because, apparently, I looked sad when I left." She said. Len didn't reply. Miku sighed. "Why were you even drunk, though?" Len thought up a quick excuse.

"No idea?" He tried. Miku gave him a look. "Really! I haven't got a clue." She rolled her eyes, then deciding it was fruitless to try and get the truth out of him, settled on a different topic.

"So, let me tell you something quite...surprising that happened yesterday." She began. "Kaito confessed to me." Len tensed. _Shit. Did I somehow bring it up or imply that I knew about it last night? Fuck my life. Way to go, Len._

"You two are dating now?" He asked, managing to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "Congratulations." Miku rolled her eyes again and put her hand on his shoulder and patted it reassuringly.

"No." She answered. Len blinked. _But...she kissed him, didn't she?_ He thought somewhat uncertainly. _I could've sworn I saw her kiss him..._ "Don't get me wrong, Kaito's amazing, sweet, cute, funny-"

"Point?" Len asked, cutting her off. She chuckled.

"Yeah. Sorry." She apologized. "But he's just...well, I don't like him like that. I just haven't felt that 'connection' you know? I told him that and he asked me to kiss him, but even then I still didn't feel it. Hopefully, we'll go on just as friends." Len was slightly confused. _That feeling...it's going away?_ He thought. _Hm. It's probably because I know that those two didn't completely fuck up their friendship in the worst way possible. If they went out..._ Len suppressed a shudder.

"Why're you telling me this?" He asked, rolling his eye as he looked at her. She shrugged.

"Haven't told anyone yet and you're here and I trust you, so...why not?" She said, eyeing him. She grinned and leaned toward him.

"You know you said some things when you were drunk?" She giggled. Len scoffed, keeping his poker face on. Whatever the hell he told her was a lie. It must be.

"I was _drunk_ ," He defended. "I didn't know what I was saying!"

"You said I was pretty," She mused. "You actually think that?" Len scoffed and scratched the back of his neck. It was true that he did think she was stunningly beautiful, but like _hell_ he'd tell her that.

"Also, who's Mr. Loid?" Len choked at the mention of the old, ragged teddy bear that he kept on his shelf.

"A-A guy I know!" He excused. Miku looked like she didn't believe him.

"Mmhm." She said skeptically. "You sure it's not your stuffed bear?" Len scoffed.

"Bear? What bear? I don't have any stuffed bears, you're delusional!" Miku snorted, rolling her eyes and laughing.

At least he was back to his old self.

* * *

 _ **Bonus::::**_  
"Reason why you called me here?" Len asked Kaito, his eyebrows raised. It was afterschool and they were at the park by Kaito's request. Kaito fidgeted in the park bench, making Len slightly suspicious that he had something he needed to tell him.

"S-So, um..." He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. Len patiently waited for him for about a minute then, patience disappearing completely, he said,

"So...?" He gave Kaito a blank look. Kaito's cheeks turned pink. _He didn't call me here just to blush and stutter, did he?_ Len thought with an eye roll.

"I-I like a girl," He squeaked. Len raised his eyebrows.

"Whoa. You like a _girl_?" Len gasped dramatically. "It seems I've gotten your sexuality wrong after all!" Kaito shot him a weak glare.

"S-Shut up!" He muttered. "I-I really like her, but we're good friends and I think she might like someone else...but I'm not sure. I dunno if I should confess to her or not. What do I do?" Len rolled his eye. Why was he asking _him_ for love advice? Sure, maybe a while ago he'd give out great advice, but not _now_.

"You know I'm the worst person to ask about this shit, right?" Len asked in a flat tone. Kaito nodded.

"Well...but you have so many girls that like you...I'm pretty sure there's a fangirl club, dude." Kaito told him seriously. Len snorted and rolled his eye. _Those_ girls? The ones that followed him around and constantly flirted with him? The ones that can't take a fucking hint?

"It's not my fault they're all over me like maggots over a dead body!" Len complained. Kaito wrinkled his nose at Len's choice of words. "I try not to talk with them but they won't take a fucking hint and fuck off! It's so weird!"

"I'd kill to be in your position..." Kaito grumbled. "Just...should I tell her or not?" Kaito finally asked. Len stared at him for a minute, thinking. Life's like a game that you can only play once. One small move could change everything. However, not performing a certain move also meant that it could also change things for the worse, and in this case, it was whether or not Kaito should confess. It was strange to think that the fearsome Devil's Dog was comparing something as silly and unimportant as a highschool love confession to life.

"Life's about taking chances, is it not?" Len finally said. "There's a 50/50 chance that she returns those feelings to you. If she does, then if you don't tell her, those feelings might fade over time. But if you do tell her and she doesn't return those feelings, you could forever change your relationship..." Kaito looked even more nervous than before.

"H-How is this helping?" He squeaked. Len rolled his eye and shot Kaito a small glare.

"Let me finish, you ice cream idiot." He snipped. Kaito shut his mouth and Len continued. "But the question is, what are _you_ willing to risk? Your friendship with her or the chances of you two going out?" Len looked at him expectantly, waiting for his answer. Kaito was quiet for a moment then finally replied.

"I...think I'll tell her." He said confidently. Len nodded and stood.

"Good for you." He said. "Good luck with this mystery girl." Kaito chuckled softly.

"Actually...she's not a mystery girl." He told Len. He raised his eyebrow.

"I know her? Who is it?" He asked, giving him a curious side glance. Kaito smiled softly and looked down.

"Miku." He said it dreamily, as if the name was the most beautiful thing that has ever come out of his lips. Len tensed slightly. Miku? The Leek Freak? Her? He felt a twinge of an unpleasant feeling in his chest. _Well, fuck my life_ , Len thought. T _hey're probably gonna be all sappy and lovey-dovey around us._

"I see." Len said without turning around. "Treat her right." Kaito nodded.

"I will."

He began to walk away, then the urge to say something more winning over, he stopped. "Oh, and Kaito?" He called, not looking back at him.

"Yeah?"

"You're like a brother to me and I'd go to hell and back for you-" Kaito squealed.

"Aw! How cute! So sweet!" He cooed. "I love you too, Lenny!" Len scoffed.

"Ugh. You're so fucking gay it's hard to believe you like Miku." He said. " Let me finish. Call me overprotective, whatever," He turned and gave Kaito a dark look, "but break her heart and I'll make sure that something of yours is broken, too."

 **damn guys so shit happened in this chapter too, longest one so far. Also, I realized I forgot to add the Fuck my Life count for the last chapter!**

 **Fuck my Life count (Last chapter:) 4**

 **Fuck my Life count (This chapter:) 9**

 **I originally wanted to wait a few more chapters for this one so I can further develop Miku & Kaito's relationship for the reader to see but I got impatient okay guys**

 **also, in this story, there are nO COINCIDENCES OKAY SO JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT THEY MAY BE LINKED-**

 **Len needs to get in touch with his emotions again dayum even Rei & IA know what's up. Do you guys think he was kind of overreacting?**

 **Incredibly sappy, long, and light chapter. Hopefully next chapter will be darker. Hopefully...maybe...**

 **Please comment on what you think of this chapter, character's actions, and theories about Len's dad and Len's sword. Also do you think IA was/is an alcoholic? Aight I'll leave now.**

 **Ciao~**


	19. Chapter 19

**This fic is taking over my life.**

 _ **Len  
2 years earlier**_

Len didn't cry. He didn't plead for mercy. He didn't beg to die. He screamed until his throat was hoarse, he yelled obscenities and taunts, but never once did he cry or ask for mercy or death. He didn't move from the spot where he lay, curled up in a small ball. His torn, bloodstained clothes were dirty, his face caked with dried blood and dirt. His hair was bloody, dirty, tangled, and unkempt. He wished he had his hair tie.

His wrists and ankles hurt from the tight metal shackles that currently held him prisoner. He didn't know, but he was sure that his wrist was either broken or sprained. He knew for a fact that there was something wrong with his ribs and right ankle, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. His wounds stung. They were probably infected by now. It didn't really matter- they'd just make sure he doesn't die so they could continue on with the horrendous torture, his _punishment_ for deceiving them.

Len regretted nothing.

His stomach wailed loudly and his mouth felt like the driest desert on Earth only 10 times worse. He was barely being kept alive, getting only small portions of bread every two days and a small drink of water every three days. A part of him had given up hope and just wanted to die already. Another part of him was determined to find a way to escape.

The rest of him just wanted to believe that this was just an elaborate, seriously messed up, horrible nightmare that he'd wake up from soon. Of course, that was the hopeful and foolish part of the Kagamine. He heard the door creak open but he didn't look up. He kept staring at the ground, waiting for a hand to roughly pull him up and force him to sit in that dreaded chair.

However, instead of that, the person stopped in front of him and set something down. It took Len a moment to realize that it was food. With that heavenly aroma, it was probably roasted chicken or something else. Slowly, he looked up to find he was right. On a rather large plate sat a small roasted chicken, next to it a rather tall glass of water. Corn and mashed potatoes with gravy and a few bread rolls surrounded the chicken. Len's mouth watered as he stared at the plate full of food. It took all of his willpower and common sense not to dig in like a barbarian.

"Well?" The man said. It was the same man that had been joyously causing Len pain for nearly three weeks. Taito. His messy violet hair covered his right eye, where a white medical patch was present. His other eye was violet as well, seeming to glow sadistically and maliciously in the light. He had a gauze wrapped around his head and another around his neck. He wore his black and purple jacket open, exposing his bare chest, which was covered with scars and various bloodied bandages. His arms and right hand were also bandaged and the purple scarf along with the coat was bloodied with both dry and fresh blood. "Are you not going to eat? Don't worry- it's not poisoned. Master wants you alive." Len raised his eyebrow.

"How do I know that you won't go against your master?" He replied suspiciously. Taito snarled, outrage shining in his eyes as he stepped forward and raised his hand. Len flinched, but didn't shrink back. After a minute, Taito lowered his hand.

"I am loyal to my master," He growled. "I would never dare to betray him. Now, hurry and eat, you mutt, or else I'll just take it away and have it for lunch instead."

"What if I just decide to starve to death just to piss you all off?" Len challenged, glaring. Taito's lips curled into a mocking sneer.

"Well, we won't let that happen."

"What if I make it happen?" Len told him. "I have a habit of messing things up..." Taito raised his eyebrows and took out a bloodied ice pick and stared at it, poking the edge with his finger. A bead of blood swelled up then spilled over, traveling down his hand then falling to the pristine white tiles.

"That'd be most unfortunate, not only for us, but your sister as well." He gave Len a side look and a crooked smile. "If you happen to die, we can always take her instead. We've been quite generous with you, Mutt. We could just keep you and then take the kiddo anyways, but we haven't. After all, you cannot control a slave without leverage, can you now, Mutt?" Len stared at him, shocked.

"But...the laristatem...it's gone. You have no use for her, now!" He objected. Taito shrugged.

"Maybe so, but we can still find use for her. You do not know how to properly extract it. There could still be some left, and even a little is all we need. Not only that, you see, but Master is a lonely man and your sister is quite pretty..." Len snarled at what he was implying. He glared up at him.

"I swear to God if you touch her-" Taito put his hand up, indicating for Len to stop talking.

"As long as you don't die or try to escape...we'll leave her alone. So, what will it be, Mutt? Will you accept the food or starve to death?" Len stared at the food, having an internal debate as to whether or not he should accept it or not. Eventually, his hunger won and he leaped forward, tearing off a leg and viciously eating it.

He ate like a savage but he honestly didn't give a flying fuck. Taito chuckled. "How...barbaric, if I do say so, myself." Len looked up to glare at the taller male.

"You try staying on the brink of starvation for nearly three weeks," He growled before turning his attention back to his food. Taito snickered.

"You got spunk, Mutt." He told him. Len glanced up at him warily.

"Why does that bastard want me?" He asked. Taito snarled and struck Len across the face.

"Do not refer to him in that way!" He growled angrily, his fists clenched. _Hm. He's protective of his master, is he?_ Len thought, squinting as he reached up to rub his sore cheek. _Perhaps I can use that to my advantage one day..._

"Fine." Len spat. "What does _your majesty_ want with me?" Taito regarded him coldly, then grinned.

"You've deceived us very well with that...tactic of yours. Your pride really must hurt, hm? Crossdressing as your sister and deceiving some of the most brilliant minds here only to be discovered that you're a male by a few guards toying around with you." Len glared. He was thankful that he really did deceive them. To have Rin in such an unholy place filled with heartless people corrupted by greed, not to mention the horrible things they'd do to her...

"Your point?" Len asked sourly.

"Ah, yes. You see, Len...it appears that you, yourself, have some laristatem in you." Len's eyes widened. That was impossible. It had to be. They tested him and everything. There was _no way_ he could have it.

"Oh? That face- the one of absolute shock- it warms my heart." Taito sighed. Len snarled.

"Oh, you have a heart?" He growled. "You're lying. They took my blood and tested it. I don't have it." Taito chuckled mockingly.

"You see, Mutt, that was nearly a month ago. Before your daring little plan. Now, when you extracted it from your dearest sister, what did you do with it?" Len set his jaw.

"I destroyed it." He answered truthfully.

"And what'd it do?"

"Evaporated into air." Taito grinned, then laughed. He laughed so hard he had to clutch his sides and he teared up. Len was growing uneasy. He had destroyed it. He knew he did. So why would he laugh at something so precious and valuable to that horrid organization being destroyed?

"Oh, Mutt. You really don't know anything, do you?"

 _ **Present**_  
 _Len._ Rei said sternly. _Don't do this._

Len stared at Taito intensely, hands clenched into fists. _It's...him..._ He responded. He trembled with rage. _What he made me do to Lola...he's the one that pointed out that Rin had the laristatem...he's the one that made me into a monster...it's his fault!_ Taito looked at him with a grin. The bodyguards surrounding him looked unnerved, despite the fact that there was nearly fifteen of them, half of them armed with guns and the other with swords and knives.

"Long time no see, Doggie." Taito said with a grin. He hadn't changed a bit. He cocked his head to the right. "Why do you look so upset? I personally think that 'Doggie' is an upgrade from 'Mutt.'" He mused. Len didn't answer, his eyes trained on Taito.

"You..." He growled. "You have nerve showing your face to me, you fucking _pathetic_ asshole..." Taito raised his eyebrow.

"Oh? Still salty about the torture sessions?" He said. He looked at his nails, as if he had nothing better to do. "Or is it about that one girl, Lola?" Len snarled.

"You piece of fucking shit..." He growled. "You're almost as pathetic as your master." Taito's eye twitched and he emitted a dark aura, his hands clenching into fists and his face distorting into one of rage.

 _Len!_ Rei pleaded. _He's the Mad King! We both know this isn't gonna end well! Just retreat!_

 _Like a coward?_ Len snapped. _He needs to pay for what he's done! Especially for Lola!_

It had happened a year ago. He was used to his _'job_ ' and eventually sucked it up and got used to it. However, he befriended Lola, a sweet and innocent girl only a year younger than Len. He wasn't supposed to. However, when he was preparing to leave, Taito came along. He wanted to take Lola back to Blackport for _entertainment._ After lots of running and fighting, she just gave up. Trapped in an alley, she begged Len to kill her. Which he reluctantly did when Lola grabbed his hand and ran his sword through her stomach. It was needless to say that he had gotten punished when he was taken back to Blackport.

"Such insolence...you'll be punished dearly for that, Doggie..." He said, then he looked up, a mocking glint in his eye. "And not only will I capture you...but that Rin girl, too, as well as IA...she's been missing for the longest time, you know. She's a valuable asset to us. But if you just surrender right now, their punishments won't be so severe...so why don't you consider it? You listenin', Doggie?" Len, who had been looking down the entire time, his bangs covering his eye, began to chuckle.

That chuckle turned to a small laugh. That small laugh turned to a full-blown, side-clutching, booming laughter. He threw his head back, cackling, as Taito and the other men watched somewhat confused. Len's laughter hadn't completely fully died down when he spoke. His bangs were still blocking, his eyes, however.

 _Oh, no..._ Rei said helplessly. _Taito's madness is getting to him...but...it's not like I thought..._

"You think...that you can threaten my family...and expect me to surrender?" He asked as if the idea were preposterous, which it was. "My, they really _do_ call you the Mad King for a reason!" Taito raised his eyebrow.

"You realize that with the insanity radiating off of me will be quite difficult for you to fight, yes?" He said. Len giggled. The insanity was already effecting him, but it didn't necessarily make him weak. It made him bloodthirsty and cruel.

"Such arrogance..." He snickered. He, though his body wasn't facing them, tilted his head back and gave them a side glance, causing his blonde bangs to fall back and reveal his eye. It was wide and held nearly no emotion except for one: absolute glee. His mouth twisted into a crazy grin. _"I'll slaughter you all and be home before dinner."_

Before anyone could react to the Kagamine's disturbing threat, he was off. _"Yohio~_ " He sang jollily, the sword appearing in his hand. He dodged a bullet containing some kind of strong drug and sliced the person who was shooting it in half. He let out a small squeak as blood ran from his mouth before his torso fell to the floor. "There goes one~"

He ducked as a knife came cartwheeling toward his shoulder. He smiled eerily at the person. "That's not very nice..." He told him as he started toward him. The man unsheathed his own sword and raised it just as Len's was hurtling toward his face. "Oh? You deflected it." Len said with a small frown. He stepped back and jumped over the man so he was behind him. Just as he turned around, Len raised his sword and cut right through his neck, detaching his head from his body. "There goes another!" Len said, turning to the others with a charming smile.

And so, he plowed through them all, slicing and stabbing without a care in the world.

He felt like he was floating on air.

He stabbed someone through the throat. How old was he? Somewhere around...17, maybe? Len didn't give his victim a second thought as he moved on to the next person.

He felt so carefree.

The man let out a screech as Len amputated his right arm. Finding the noise annoying, Len ran his sword through his chest and he fell to the floor with a thump.

It was just an illusion that can't end.

He knocked a gun out of another man's hands. He was older than the others. He looked to be in his mid-thirties. Len cocked his head to the side. "Haven't we met before?" He said. The man shook his head slowly. "Oh. Must be my imagination. Goodbye, you." Without hesitation, starting from the man's shoulder, he sliced him in half, diagonally.

Then he turned to Taito. The others were all dead, most of them not even in one piece. Taito kept his poker face on, though he was surprised that Len didn't curl up into a ball or flounder around like most did when they were affected by his madness. In fact...it seemed to _strengthen_ him...

"Hey~ it looks like it's just us two, now." Len told him with a smile. Taito grabbed a sword from one of his bodyguard's hands and stepped back. Len leaped forward.

He frowned and looked down. It looked like the floor was melting under him, trapping his ankles in some sticky, thick substance. "Oh. Another illusion?" He said, amused. He didn't let it affect him and instead rushed forward once more, though a little slower this time.

Taito jumped back at deflected the blow. "It appears that...maybe you're more damaged than I thought. Tell me, Doggie, is your sanity _truly_ unscathed?" Len tilted his head and looked at him, then he grinned.

"Sanity?" He giggled. "What is that?" Nobody was truly sane in this world. People just used the term 'insane' to label those who weren't strong enough to hide their true nature, isn't that right?

Len jumped to the right as Taito swung his sword at his side. Ducking immediately after that, Len swung his own and cut the bottom half of Taito's leg. The sword went cleanly through it, surprisingly enough. Taito let out an anguished yell as he fell to the ground. Len stood up again and kicked the sword out of Taito's hands.

"Unable to run..." Len said, cocking his head and looking down at Taito, who growled at him.

He was lucky Taito wasn't much of a fighter. Len smiled sweetly as he stabbed his sword through Taito's hand. "Ah, it looks like the tables have turned!" Len mused. "Who's the cat and who's the mouse in this little game of ours, I wonder?"

Taito glared up at him. "When my master-" Len laughed heartily.

" _Master_...?" He snickered as he took the sword out of his hand and instead stabbed his thigh. He continued despite Taito's shrieks of agony. "He couldn't care less about you, you know?" He pulled the sword out of his thigh and chopped off Taito's arm.

"You're just another insignificant human being..."

Stab.

"Just another parasite..."

Slice.

"...in a world of parasites..."

Cut.

Pause.

"...Why am I...fighting for these parasites...again?"

Resume.

Stab.

"What if I...just ended it all...?"

Slice.

"Why...am I saving them...when they will never know... what I have done for them?"

Cut.

"What if I...just kept everyone safe...by killing myself?"

Stab.

He stopped. "It's quite funny...isn't it?" He said, looking down at what was left of Taito's mangled and nearly unrecognizable body. "Yohio. Retreat." He said. The sword retreated back to the ring and Len looked down. Blood was splattered all over his clothes, some even on his face. He looked around. Red. That's all he saw. Pools of blood, blood splattered on the walls, everywhere.

Then he grinned. The color- it was quite beautiful. The deep red of someone's drained life- why did it make him so giddy? Perhaps it's because it was the people who had threatened his family, and they'd gotten what they deserved.

He didn't know why or how, but a small laugh escaped from his lips, which eventually bloomed into a full and hearty laughter. He was still cackling as he threw his head back, his hands on the side of his face. It was hilarious.

...

What was hilarious again? Why was he laughing?

What was the time?

What was the day?

What was the year?

Where was he?

Who were they?

Who was _he_?

 _Kagamine!_ A voice snapped inside him, vaguely familiar. _Snap outta it!_

"Out of it?" Cackled Len. "Out of _what_ , dear me?"

 _Damn it, Len, it's Rei! The Italian piece of shit? The piece of fucking trash? The overdramatic asshole?_ Said 'Rei' desperately. _You're strong! Get a hold over yourself! Taito's dead! The madness should be wearing off! C'mon, man!_

"Madness?" He giggled. "Why, dearest 'Rei', everyone in this insane world is _mad!_ No matter where you go or who you meet, _everybody's_ insane-"

 _What if Rin saw you like this?_ Rei interrupted suddenly. The laughter died down in his throat. Rin? Who was that again? Someone important? A family member? Another mad human being?

 _Or Kaito? IA? Miku?_ Rei paused. _What about Oliver? And Gumi? What would they think if they saw you like this, to know that you've come so far only to be torn down by a dead man's insanity?_ Len slowly began to come back to his senses upon hearing their names.

"What...the fuck?" Len muttered, blinking and looking around. He took the scene in once again and wrinkled his nose. There was nothing beautiful about the sight of corpses splattered in blood, the metallic and irony smell radiating off of the red substance.

"Holy fuck." Len said, putting his hand to his cheek. When he drew it away, blood was present on them. Not his, but _theirs_. He felt extremely disturbed by this.

Not only because of how much he lost control.

Not only because of the mess he made and the amount of blood on his clothes.

Because some of that insanity he felt wasn't Taito's.

Some of that insanity he felt was his own.

 **so i know you guys wanted to see len laughing more so here you go-**

 **Fuck my Life count: 0 because Len was too busy committing homicide**

 **So last chapter it was alcohol and heartbreak and cutie pie drunk Len. And now this chapter it's fuckING DEATH AND INSANITY AND BLOOD .YEP.**

 **but like at least you guys know that all the things that happened to him within the two years had scarred him and made him a biiiiiiit mentally unstable and kind of yandere when it comes to his family. just a small bit, like 0.01%**

 **but yeah len really lost his shit here but can you blame him**

 **also i put in a few iNSaNiTY (by Circus P) references because why not**

 **also to make up for this chapter's 'dark' theme the next one should be kind of comical/cute with a few LenKu scenes and a mortified Len.**

 **comment on what you think of the chapter, it really helps me know what you guys want/think!**

 **ciao~**


	20. Chapter 20

_****Len****_ **  
**"IA...I fucked up. I've dug a hole so deep I'm in fucking China. I'm at your place. Hurry up and come." Without waiting for IA's reply, the Kagamine hung up with a sigh and set his phone on the dining room table. He was in some serious trouble. _Really_ bad trouble. He supposed he should have been more careful, but _come on._ Who the hell takes a wannabe crazy cat lady that wears a black cat ear headband seriously? It certainly wasn't Len. Perhaps he had been a bit too cocky- SeeU had a reputation. But, then again, Rei told him that it wasn't a big deal and he'd take her down easily.

 _Oh, so you're blaming me?_ Rei whined. _It's not my fault she was into magic!_

 _Rei. You literally said, "It's fine, it's not like she has mythical magical powers or anything!"_

 _Well I thought that she was just another hot babe with skills, okay?_ Rei excused. _We- I mean, you- have a bigger problem. What're you gonna do about...your appearance?_ Len shivered at the thought of it. It was so...humiliating to be seen like how he was at the moment. He turned to look in the mirror, scowling. _Fuck my life._

The orange cat ears atop his head twitched, and the striped orange tail waved around agitatedly. The one blue eye that showed was more feline-like, the pupil of it turned to a slit. Hell, even his canines were sharper and more cat like. He felt like one of those retarded anime cat people. It was like a joke. And boy, was it ironic. The fearsome, infamous Devil's _Dog_ nearly turned into a _cat_? How pathetic.

 _Well, I myself think you look adorable, but I don't think the public can see you like this. There's weird pedophiles out there, you know._ Len snorted and rolled his eyes. He could take care of himself in case some perverted asshole came up to him.

 _Oh, you mean like yourself?_ He retorted. _I have no clue. Maybe I can go find SeeU-_

 _But you killed her._ Rei pointed out. Len groaned. Perhaps... _maybe_ he shouldn't have killed her right then.

 _Fuck my life..._ He sighed. He hoped IA would arrive soon. He was sure that she'd be able to find a way out of this problem. IA seemed knowledgeable in this type of stuff. School was a different matter.

As if on cue, the door began to unlock and in walked IA. He turned to look at her. She stared at him. " _Shut up._ " He hissed once he saw her biting her cheek, trying to desperately hold in her laughter. Right after he said it, the blonde, not being able to contain it any longer, burst into a booming laughter, clutching her stomach and gasping. _Seriously. Fuck. My. Life._

"Oh my God!" She wheezed between laughs. She paused, looked at Len, then resumed laughing so hard that she fell to the floor. "You...you're a...a...!" She cackled, unable to finish her sentence. Len hissed and glared at her.

"Shut the _hell_ up you piece of-"

"So cute!"

"I am _not_ cute! This is a _serious matter_ -"

"Your- your little kitty ears and cute little tail are so cute that-"

"I will skin you _alive_ -"

"I'm gonna die!"

"Yeah, you're gonna die alright!" Len snarled. IA paused, still giggling, then dug through her purse for something. Len scowled. _What the fuck-_

A red dot appeared on the floor in front of him. _Fuck my life._ He looked at IA in disbelief. She held one of those flashlights/lasers that people often used to play with cats. She moved it around and Len couldn't help, much to his horror, but be transfixed on the red dot. "Stop!" He snapped at her. He walked over to her and snatched it out of his hands before he could pounce on it. Common sense told him that it was just a laser and it wasn't in physical form, but...it was movingso _quickly_ back and forth on the floor and, boy, did Len _really_ want to catch it-

Len heard something drop, and he turned toward the source. And you know what it was? _This is the worst fucking day ever,_ Len thought tiredly. _Fuck my tragic life...seriously..._ There, at the door, was _Miku_. Len was pretty sure that she thought that he was some junkie or was in some little ghetto-ass gang from the bad side of town, and that was alright as long as she didn't think anything abnormal was going on. And now here she was, gaping at his appearance. He seriously needed some cake because if he didn't get any type of dessert on this shitty day he was sure he was going to commit homicide.

"What..." The tealette said, blinking. IA stopped her giggling abruptly and paled.

"You're supposed to be waiting outside..." She told her. Miku didn't take her eyes off of Len, even when he snorted and glared at the blonde.

"You brought her?!" He hissed. IA shrugged.

"She forgot her jacket..."

"Couldn't you have just, oh, I don't know, give it to her tomorrow like a sane person would in this situation!"

"You know very well that I'm far from sane, Lenny. And she insisted, I didn't think that your situation would be that bad-"

"IA, did you not hear me say that I dug a hole so deep that I'm in China?! Actually, scratch that, I've dug myself a hole so deep that I'm in hell where I belong!"

"So cute..." Miku whispered. Len gave her a sharp look, slightly surprised that she wasn't freaking out or asking questions or spazzing out on the floor. He learned that Miku was a curious girl that tended to ask too many questions, most of which that Len couldn't answer truthfully. This should've been the weirdest thing she's seen, and yet the first thing that she said was " _cute_?"

"Eh?" Len managed. "Did you just say... _cute?_ " Miku raised her eyebrows and nodded. She crossed her arms with a small sigh and gave Len a knowing look.

"This is some pretty weird shit that I didn't think were possible and only happened in cartoons and I kinda just want to go and think about the meaning of life and freak out in the corner and ask _so_ many questions," She said, pausing for breath, "but I know you won't answer them. You keep saying you will later, but we all know that's bullshit. The only thing keeping me from having that little existential crisis I mentioned earlier is that, as much as I'd want you to stay like this forever and ever, obviously you can't let anyone see you like this."

Len didn't quite know what to say. Miku took it maturely. _Too_ maturely. She was too calm about the whole situation, and to Len, that was suspicious. Miku shut the door behind her and sat down on the couch. Len raised his eyebrows. She was going to stay? The thought made his stomach churn. The teasing, dear _God_ , the comments she'd make about the whole situation. Len wasn't exactly up to that shit today. He opened his mouth to protest but Miku beat him to speaking.

"Shut up, you feline." Miku said, making Len angrily hiss. "I'm not going anywhere. I'd rather stay and help the best I can, whether it's something small like telling Rin some absurd lie as to why you're not here or...I dunno, breaking into the fucking mayor's house."

"You-"

"Quiet, Kitty. You're not convincing me to leave any time soon."

"Don't call me that, Leek Freak." He shot back, agitated by the nickname she had given up. "Never breathe a word about this to anyone." She nodded solemnly.

"My lips are sealed." She informed. "Now, what happened?" Len raised his eyebrows. He was reluctant to, as IA would say, spill the beans. But can you really blame him? The guy was trying to protect his friend and shedding more light as to what he was doing would not only put her in danger, but he was afraid that she'd see him for exactly what he was.

A monster. A piece of shit, bloodthirsty, savage monster. And what will she say to him after that? After she learned that he had committed homicide out of not only getting information out of his victim, but also out of petty and childish revenge.

Why did he even care? It's not like he enjoyed the Leek Freak's company, anyways. He felt weird around her all the time. As if there were something inside his stomach, like the monster from _Alien_ , that was trying to burst free.

 _You mean butterflies?_ Rei scoffed, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Len nearly scowled at the ridiculous idea.

 _No. Butterflies are for nervous fools. Why would I be nervous around that Leek Freak?_

 _In case you hadn't noticed, you're 100% fool, Len Kagamine._ Rei pointed out. _Maybe because you like her...and you get butterflies in your cute little tummy!_

 _If there were any butterflies, I'd fucking digest them and shit them out a few hours later._ Len sourly replied. "Er..." He ended up saying in response to the tealette's earlier question. He looked at IA for help. She looked back at him expectantly, nodding slightly.

"SeeU?" She said. Len nodded.

"Yeah." He answered. He sat down on the other side of the couch. IA frowned.

"Ah, Crazy Cat Lady SeeU," She mused. "Perhaps she can reverse whatever she did?" Len awkwardly squared his shoulders and scratched his cheek. IA raised her eyebrows at him in question and he shook his head.

"Well...magic, right?" Miku piped in. Len looked at her.

"Fuck, I dunno." He said. "I think?" Miku nodded slowly.

"Perhaps there are books...research, we can do lots of research..." She mumbled, staring at the doorway, drifting off into a deep thought. Her lips turned down in a small frown and her eyebrows furrowed slightly like they always did when she was thinking deeply. _Seriously, now she's involved in this whole fiasco?_ Len thought. _Fuck my life._

"Hey, Len." IA said.

"What-" Len stared at the red laser dot that appeared on the coffee table in front of him, ear twitching. He growled, but his eyes were transfixed on the red dot, which was currently moving back and forth quickly. "IA, _can you_ _not_?"

"What? I'm curious if it's only your appearance that's affected. Maybe you'll develop some cat-like habits, too." She told him. Len scoffed and rolled his eye, though he was still intently studying the moving dot. His hand twitched, the urge to at least try and catch it rising, making him even more disgusted and horrified with himself. _One day,_ he glumly thought, _people will say, "What ever happened to the Devil's Dog?" and then someone will reply, "Oh, he turned into a catman that likes to try and catch laser dots and eats fish all day."_

"I'm not getting the urge to try and capture that thing, so fuck off, will you?" IA did the exact opposite. Instead, she slowly brought the dot closer to him, so close it was on the edge of the table, then quickly moved it to the left. Len's eye unconsciously followed it.

"Sure?"

"Posi-" Before Len could stop himself, he lunged forward and slammed his hands down on the red dot. As expected, it just appeared on his hands. IA moved the dot forward a bit and Len, unable to quench his thirst for getting that damned dot, pawed at it again like a fool. IA snickered and Miku giggled.

Len awkwardly pulled back and sat down on the couch with an awkward cough. "That..." He tried to come up with an excuse for whatever the fuck that was. _Fuck my life._ "...I was just testing you to see if you'd actually believe that I had...cat-like habits..." Miku raised her eyebrows.

"Oh?" She said. "You had a look of real determination on your face..."

"You're delu- oi, what the hell do you think you're doing, Leek Freak?!" He snapped as he turned to give the tealette, who was now so close that the sides of their legs were touching, a withering glare. It had no effect on her. Instead, she reached up and patted his head, her slender fingers eventually finding their way to the back of his orange cat ears. His cheeks burned.

Blushing? How unlike him. Of course, in this case it was fully justified. This was just... _humiliating._ Thetransformation was bad enough, but now _this? Ugh...fuck my life..._ Len thought. _I swear I'm about to murder someone if she doesn't stop...but it feels so nice..._

While the Kagamine was having an internal battle over the dilemma, it took everything in Miku and IA not to burst out laughing. Len had unconsciously closed his eye and and tilted his head towards Miku's hand, his lips parted slightly. Both of the girls, if they listened closely, could hear a soft, vibrant, and pleased sort of noise. IA snorted.

"Is he purring?"

* * *

 _ ** **Miku****_  
Miku was freaking out. Well, on the inside, at least. She forced herself to appear calm and steady. If they were to see her freak, they'd think she wasn't capable of handling the whole truth of whatever was going on.

She didn't ask questions, as much as she wanted to. She knew that, like she said, Len wouldn't answer them. She figured that at this point, patience was the key. Patience and trust would get her the answers she wanted.

But that didn't stop her from having an internal meltdown.

Was Len some sort of hybrid now? And, even weirder, he was like that because of _magic?_ The thing that adults had told her weren't real and only existed in fairytails and books?

And what if it was permanent? What if there was no cure? Would Len be doomed to walk around with cat ears and a tail forever? IA spared a glance at her before turning her eyes back to the road.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," She assured. "The guy I know knows a few things 'bout this stuff." Miku managed to keep her mouth closed, though she couldn't fathom why she would be so surprised at this point. First she and Rin get jumped when going home from the hospital only to be saved by Len, who was supposed to be injured and surprisingly had a few impressive moves, then Len calls her to tell her that he "fell" in a pool only to be cut off by the angry voice of man that sounded like he was about to gut someone alive, and then after _that_ he comes to IA's house half dead and bleeding out, and now he's part _cat._ A small part of Miku didn't really want to know what other horrors were out there and the terrors Len faced, but the rest of her was too intrigued in the Kagamine and his secrets to acknowledge this.

"Oh." Miku ended up saying dumbly. IA looked at Miku, a small frown present on her face. "Eyes on the road." Miku reminded. She wasn't up to getting killed in a car crash today. IA raised her eyebrows, but redirected her gaze to the road nonetheless.

"You're taking this awfully...calm." She said slowly, as if Miku were a bomb that she was very carefully defusing. "I would've thought you'd be asking more questions...are you not curious at all?" Miku shrugged and crossed her arms.

"Believe me, I'm curious as hell, I really am." She admitted. "But Len won't answer the questions I ask, so what's the point? The best I can do right now is try to be of use. Even though I'm in the dark about the whole thing." Without meaning to, she shot IA a piercing and slightly accusing gaze, which made the blonde sigh.

"I really wish we can tell you, but right now we just...can't. It's not too late to back out of this whole situation, you know. Len and I have to keep you ignorant. Ever hear of the saying, 'Ignorance is bliss?' Well, trust me, in this case, ignorance really is a blessing. Maybe...perhaps, later."

"After everything's calmed down?" Miku asked. IA tensed slightly and Miku could tell she may have hit a soft spot.

"Who said it's chaotic?" IA asked. Miku shrugged.

"I mean...Len's been disappearing a lot and he keeps getting injured. It's only natural that I think things are chaotic right now." Miku explained, raising her eyebrow at the blonde. "Everything's just so crazy. Even Rin's noticed. We both worry. But...you guys are the good guys, right?" IA was quiet.

"I like to think we are." She replied. "Len and I- we see the other side's hopes and and beliefs to be wrong and cruel. I can't really say if we're the good guys here or not. I mean, villains never think that _they're_ the villains, do they?" The car came to a stop and Miku realized that they must've been at their destination.

"We're here." IA announced. Miku looked at her before unbuckling her seatbelt and stepping out of IA's car. Didn't it have a name? Lacy or something? _I'll figure it out later,_ Miku dismissed as she looked at the building ahead. It was a medium sized shop with a dark brown painting and large windows. A sign in the window written in large, curvy letters read _Yuuma Yamaha's Shop for the Extraordinary_ and there was an _open_ sign present in the other window. Miku frowned as they neared the shop, taking a moment to glance around. Though cars zoomed past and people walked past the shop, nobody seemed to actually... _notice_ it. It was as if they couldn't see it at all.

The inside of the shop looked more spacious than it did on the outside. Shelves packed with various things from jars containing some sort of substance to books and even to creatures in cages lined up all the way from the back of the store. Near the front was a desk, a cash register sitting on top of it, and a vacant chair behind it. There was a room behind the desk that read _Employees Only,_ the door open a crack. The shop was warm and an odd smell was present in the air. Miku couldn't really describe it, but it smelled similar to cinnamon and burning sage. There were racks below the desk filled with candies and a shelf next to it full of bottles with strange liquids. Each one had labels on it. On the other side of the store there was a section filled with jewelry and strange objects (Miku assumed that they were weapons, considering how dangerous and menacing they looked) and another section that seemed to be dedicated to books. There were about 7 or 8 shelves packed with them, some looking old and worn and others quite new.

Miku looked around, bewildered, as she and IA approached the front desk. IA rang the bell present on the dark oak desk. The shop, other than the echo of the sharp ring and the cooing and soft noises of the animals, was quiet. That is, until there was the sound of someone running towards the desk and falling, which was followed by loud curses. A few moments later, a boy about the age of 19 or 20 shoved the door open. His bubblegum pink hair, the top part hidden under a black beanie that seemed to be sliding of his head, was a bit long, but not as long as Len's. His honey colored eyes had a mischievous gleam to them, along with another one that Miku couldn't quite identify.

He blinked and looked at the pair, a grin spreading across his face as he put his elbows on the desk, facing IA. "Why, hello there, lovely," He purred. IA scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh shut up, idiot" She snorted. He raised his eyebrows, but his grin grew a bit wider despite being called ugly.

"As charming as ever, Ms. IA." He giggled. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"For starters, you can stop looking at me like a lovesick puppy, you piece of shit." He chuckled softly and scratched the back of his neck, as if IA had just flattered him instead of calling him a piece of shit. The boy's gaze turned to Miku and immediately became intrigued. He smiled charmingly at her and took her hand. Bowing slightly, he pressed his lips against the back of her hand. Miku blinked.

"And who might this lovely creature be?"

"Uh...Miku...Hatsune?" Her statement turned out to be more of a question for reasons she didn't know. She was just weirded out by the strange boy in front of her. Meanwhile, IA, slightly agitated at the boy's sudden interest in Miku, crossed her arms and huffed softly.

"I see. That's quite a beautiful name for such a beautiful woman. I'm Yuuma Yamaha. I mostly run this shop, but my pops' friend helps me out too."

"Oh...that's a nice...name, I guess." Miku awkwardly replied. Yuuma chuckled.

"If you like my name, you'd probably love my number."

"She's taken." IA shortly informed. Yuuma smiled and took Miku's other hand, his honey eyes glittering.

"Then I shall face whoever posses such a magnificent woman-"

"Property of Len Kagamine." Yuuma dropped Miku's hands as if they were suddenly on fire with a small noise of surprise. He turned to look at IA, who, quite smug at his reaction, nodded.

" _Oh_." Yuuma weakly said. " _The_ Len Kagamine?" IA scowled, irritated, whereas Miku was slightly outraged if not embarrassed.

" _Property_? Since when did I become _anyone's_ property?!" IA ignored her and instead answered Yuuma's question with an eyeroll.

"Obviously. What other Len Kagamine can I be talking about?" She snorted. Yuuma's eyes shone with excitement, similar to the eyes of a child that was told that their favorite Disney character was coming to their birthday party.

"Oh man, so the rumors really are true!" He said, an astonished look present on his face. Miku couldn't help but wonder what rumors Yuuma spoke about, and why Len seemed to be such a big deal. Apparently, IA was wondering the same thing.

"Rumors? What rumors?" She asked him.

"Some say that he's escaped successfully. Others were saying that he was still in that place, either dead or under heavy security. I mean, I've never seen him in person but I heard that he's a tough macho kind of guy." He answered. He leaned on the table. "Is it true that he fought against 127 men and won? Did he really wipe out an entire village one time? Did he actually wrestle with a shark underwater and remain unscathed? Did he actually get impaled by a pole, pull it right out, get up, and walk away? What about Project Reb-"

"Ah, shut up, Bubblegum-Hair." IA interrupted with an eyeroll. "I never knew you were a fanboy for Lenny boy." Yuuma scoffed, obviously trying to play it cool.

"I'm not a fanboy, I just hear a lot of rumors about him and I wanna know if they're true. Besides," He said, shrugging. "It's not like I wanna meet him or anything-"

"Yeah, yeah, alright whatever you say." IA said, waving her hand. "We didn't come here just to hear you fanboy over that idiot blonde. We came here for a reason." Yuuma blinked, then nodded.

"Oh, yeah." He mused. "I forgot. It seems you've bewitched me with your beauty," He stroked her face lightly and she snorted.

"Get your hand away from my face or I'll bite your finger off." Yuuma chuckled.

"So fiesty, my dear. Now, what is it you two lovely lambs- and I mean it _appropriately_ , so please don't tell your boyfriend to kill me, Ms. Hatsune- need?" He asked. IA pursed her lips.

"Well...you know a thing or two about transmutation, right?" Yuuma thought for a moment, eyebrows knit together.

"Which?" He asked. "Alchemy or magic?"

"Magic." She asnwered. Yuuma nodded.

"Yeah. I know a thing or two. Why?" IA snickered.

"Stupid idiot that I know got himself in trouble. He's part cat now. Got anything for that?" Yuuma paused for a minute, then made his way to the front of the desk so he was standing in front of the shelf packed with the bottles. He muttered something under his breath as he looked through them.

"Aha!" He said after a minute. He pulled out a fairly small bottle labeled 'Gattonus.' The liquid inside was thick and a dark, deep greenish-blue color. Frankly, it looked disgusting, even mores so than the medicine that her mother fed her when she had a real nasty cold. She pitied whoever had to take it. "This should be the cure. It won't work immediately. It'll take about a day or so for all...cat aspects to fully leave." He handed IA the bottle. She nodded and began to get her wallet from her pocket.

"Thanks. How much?" She asked. Yuuma shook his head.

"On the house." He told her. She shrugged then put her wallet away, much to Miku's surprise. She had expected her to pay him anyways or something, or at least protest against it.

"Alright, then." She said. "Take care of yourself, Yamaha."

"You too, IA."

* * *

Len was gone. At least, he was when Miku and IA arrived. Miku frowned. "Where d'you think he went?" She asked. "You think he's alright?" IA paused for a moment, sighing.

"Who knows? That damned idiot probably got out because he saw a squirrel outside and got stuck in a tree-" There was a sudden, loud hiss from behind IA. The two girls froze, IA slowly turning around and Miku trying to get a look at what made the noise. She wasn't expecting to find a _cat,_ of all things, there.

The cat was striped, the majority of the body orange and blonde. The paws, neck, and belly were white, the fur fluffy. Its' eyes were mostly blue, but there were splotches of gold randomly in the deep blue of its' eyes. The eyes were rimmed with the same golden color, the left one having a bit more gold than the right one. The cat's tail flicked irritatedly, it's eyes seeming to glare at IA as it yowled impatiently. Miku stared at the cat, a strange familiar feeling washing over her the more she gazed at it. A thought came to mind, but she dismissed it. _No way. That's crazy. It can't be-_

"Len?" The cat meowed and IA snickered. "You're so cute now!" She cooed, rushing over and picking the cat- _Len_ \- up. He hissed and tried to wiggle out of her grasp. But IA had an iron grip, unfortunately for Len. He hissed and yowled and tried his best to escape, but IA just would _not_ let the poor boy- er, cat- free. That is, until he hit her cheek with his paw. Twice.

She stared at him, holding him up so he looked down on her, her bottom body dangling in the air. "Did you just slap me?" Len responded by slapping her forehead with his paw, mewling an irritated reply. IA giggled.

"So cute..." She sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't give you the cure after all..." Len's eyes grew as wide as saucers and he hissed menacingly. IA chuckled and took the Gattonus out of her purse. Len eyed the bottle warily as IA poured the contents in the bowl. The substance was slow moving and hardly a liquid at all. He hissed lightly and shrank away from it. Miku couldn't say she didn't blame him- the thing had gone from sitting there and looking plain disgusting to steaming lightly. It emitted a horrid smell like rotten eggs and gym clothes that haven't been washed in 5 years all mixed together in a bowl of dog sh-

"Good lord, you breath's gonna stink." IA said, shivering. She pinched her nose, trying to block the smell. Miku, on the other hand, brought the top of her shirt up and covered her nose with it. It didn't completely block the nightmare-worthy smell, but at least it didn't make her feel like throwing up until she dropped dead.

Len looked at the bowl, then at IA, then slowly back at the bowl again, his hackles raised and tail growing puffier and puffier. He looked at IA and hissed as if saying, "Fuck you for making me do this" then dug in. The first lick nearly made him pull away but he kept going until the horrid substance was gone.

Afterwords, he shuddered visibly. IA patted him on the head sympathetically. "Well. I'll go get some catnip as a treat, Mr. Fluffy." Len yowled and IA snickered as she walked off to the back of the house. Miku wrinkled her nose and sat on the couch.

She wasn't alone for long. She felt something pawing her foot, as if trying to get her attention. Both surprisingly and unsurprisingly, it was Len. Well, Miku figured that it had to be Len that was pawing at her, she just never thought that he'd actually interact with her in this state. And if he did, she thought that he'd surely scratch her face up or something. But instead, he just stared at her, eyes bored.

Miku blinked, then decided to take a risk. She picked him up and set him on her lap, ignoring his surprised mewls. _If he could,_ Miku thought as she watched Len look at her with wide eyes, _he'd surely be blushing._ She sighed and petted his head.

"You're so stupid," She muttered. "Getting into dangerous stuff and ending up like this." Len stopped his mewling and squeaking, and looked down, as if ashamed. She sighed again and scratched behind his ears. He brought his head up, tilting it toward her hand, his eyes closed and mouth slightly open, his canines peeking out at her.

"I guess you can't tell me anything and as for right now, I'm fine with that. I mean, everyone has their secrets. But I'll try to help whenever I can. If you think I can be of use to you, don't be afraid to ask. I'll gladly do so, and don't forget it, you idiot." Her phone buzzed and she stopped petting Len to pick up her phone and read the text she had just received. It was Rin.

 _ ** **Hey, Leeku. Have you seen Len? He hasn't come home and he won't answer his phone.  
6:38****_

Miku paused, trying to come up with a believable excuse as to why he wasn't there.

 _Len went out with one of his friends. They're out of town right now, visiting his mom in the hospital. He left his phone at IA's, but he should be back pretty late.  
6:40_

As soon as she finished texting Rin back, Len impatiently and aggressively headbutted her hand, so hard and sudden that she almost dropped it. She shot him a surprised look. "Hey! You almost made me drop it, dumbass!" She scolded. He ignored her and instead rubbed his head against her arm, purring affectionately.

She was astonished. What the fuck was happening? Len always insulted her and was never openly affectionate to _anyone_. IA snickered as she came out from the back of the house. She held a large bag full of what looked like small, tiny pet outfits.

"You know, when a cat rubs himself against something that he's marking it as his territory? As in, he's basically saying that you belong to him and that any other cats should back the fuck off?" Miku scoffed.

"Oh, please." She said. "What's with that look? It's nothing like that. The spell or something is just messing with his head, so don't get any crazy ideas, Blondie." IA shrugged, looking doubtful. Her eyes immediately shone with mischief as she held the bag up.

"Whatever you think, sweetheart," She said. "Cat instincts or not, he'll look absolutely _adorable_ in a sailor uniform."

 ** **so  
remember last chapter when i said i'll make up for the darkness and len's yandere-ness with a funny and cute one  
welL HERE YOU GO HAVE A SHIT CHAPTER-  
either way i just had to do a chapter where SOMEONE becomes a cat and i mean who's better for that role than len right guys  
so pretty much nothing serious happens, this is probably more similar to a crack chapter than a serious story but ayeee yolo****

 **Fml count: 8**

 ** _ **Also, important notes will be in italics. I was thinking about this and I honestly can't decide, so why don't you guys tell me what you think? Do you want there to be a sequel to this book, or would you like it just to be one whole thing and then it's done?**_**

 _ **If there's a sequel...**_

 _ ***Readers will have to wait till the 2nd book to know about Len's secrets and all the secrets in general**_

 _ ***I haven't really planned it out so it might take a while for it to be published, but I do know that something horrible will happen to someone.**_

 _ ***More things will happen, specifically bad things.**_

 _ ***I'll have to plan the name, when to end the first book, and of course the cover and the whole storyline as well.**_

 _ **So yeh. That's that, please tell me what you think I should do because I'm so stumped right now?**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**Len**_  
She was quiet.

Too quiet.

The Leek Freak was _never_ quiet.

And that was why Len went out. Of course, the others were sympathetic to the tealette and were extra nice to her. Kaito wasn't there- he had to take an emergency trip to London to see his aunt, but if he were there, he'd probably be spoiling Miku silly, too. Earlier that day, Rin had taken her to see a movie. Right now, IA was taking her out to any restaurant of her choice. Len wasn't sure, but he thought that they were at Chili's.

But him? Nah. He wasn't gonna be an extremely nice person. That was too out of character. The Kagamine could see that the sympathy made Miku slightly uncomfortable, and he'd be doing her a favor by not giving her any. He stopped and looked around. The sun was already beginning to sink, and yet...nothing around him looked familiar.

 _Fuck my life..._ Len thought with a scowl. He was lost, god dammit. You'd think that he'd know his way around a town that he grew up in, but he didn't. He was too much of an introvert for 14 years, and boy was he paying the price now. He scanned the street for any cars or citizens walking about. Unfortunately for him, the streets were deserted. _Just fan-fucking-tastic._

Somehow, he was expecting to get lost. Things have been going too smoothly for him lately. He grumbled an irritated comment under his breath and turned, ready to stalk off and try to retrace his steps, which probably would've gotten him in an even worse position. Then he heard terrified yells from a woman and the gloating voice of two men somewhere in the distance.

And then, fuck his ever-heroic heart, he walked towards the noise like the piece of ironically ethical shit he is.

He found himself at the entrance of a dark alleyway. Fucking typical. _Who the hell walks in a dark alley and expects_ not _to get murdered?_ He thought sarcastically. But nonetheless, despite his internal statement before, he walked in. He can take care of himself. It was probably just another group of mindless thugs with brains the size of their dicks- very, very small.

What he saw made him surprised.

Of course, there were two, tall, muscle-y men with tattoos crawling up their arms and necks surrounding a pretty brunette girl about the age of 15.

However, what surprised him was the familiar purple-haired man standing in front of the girl, glaring at the men. Gakupo, or as Len referred to him as, Eggplant Head. His eyes were steely and daring, no sign of fear in them as he glared at the pair.

"Trying to play Police, kid?" One of them asked gruffly, smirking. "Listen, I won't completely bash your pretty lil' head in if you run along now and don't tell nobody 'bout this."

"Using double negatives, are we?" Len said, frowning. "'Don't tell nobody.' So what you're really saying is to _not_ tell nobody, as in tell someone about it?" Len paused for a moment and nearly snorted at how retarded he sounded.

"Actually, forget that," He said, dismissing the slightly confused and outraged look on their faces. "Your tiny brains can't comprehend it." One with a goatee and beefy arms snarled at him.

"You're askin' for trouble, kid," He growled. Len shrugged.

"I ask for a lot of things and trouble isn't usually one of them. It just happens across my path, see..." Len's eye trailed to the girl, shivering and clutching the back of Gakupo's shirt. "Jeez, you're a bunch of pansies, picking on a little girl. It's funny how you expect me to be afraid of you." One of them, bald, looks smug and whistled, a loud and sharp sound coming from between his teeth. As if it were a dramatic movie, a bunch of men stepped out and blocked the ways out. Gakupo snorted. _Fuck my life. All I wanted was to find my way back to town, is that too much to ask for?_

"Look," He said, "you pissed him off. We're outnumbered."

"Yeah, I can see that." Len snapped. "I have eyes."

"One, actually."

"You get the point, Eggplant Head."

"Eggplant Head?!"

"Yeah. You deaf? Need a hearing aid, Gramps?"

"We're only two years apart, idiot."

"Oh, I'm the idiot? Couldn't you have just easy-peasy knocked these two jokers out and took the girl to safety within 5 minutes?"

"I'd rather not resort to immediate violence, and I don't wanna mess up my hair. You know how long it took to style it this way?"

"Aren't you a kung-fu Jackie Chan-slash-Bruce Lee master? God, you're a wimp..."

"U-Um, guys...?" The girl whispered, eyes wide with fear. "T-T-They're cl-closing in on us..." Her eyes brimmed with tears as she looked around at the slightly amused thugs that were slowly but surely, as if savoring the drama, getting closer and closer.

"Fuck, she's crying." Len cursed under his breath. It was known that he hated seeing girls cry. If it were a guy, sure, whatever. He'd probably just laugh at them depending on the circumstances. But girls...maybe it was because he grew up to respect women and be a real gentleman. _So much for being a gentleman, though._

"Yeah, look at what you did!" Gakupo scolded before turning to the girl. Gakupo put his hand up as if telling Len, who was about to protest against his claim, to shut the fuck up.

"Okay," He said gently. "Do you see that dumpster over there?" He asked, pointing to a rusty green dumpster not too far away from where they stood. "I need you to get in it." The girl stared at him, lip quivering.

"G-Get in...the dumpster?" She whispered, horrified.

"You need a hearing aid, too?" Len scoffed, giving her a look. She flinched and Len softened his gaze a bit. "That's the safest place for you right now. We'll guard you so don't worry, okay? Stay in there and don't come out unless we say." A look of horror and disgust and reluctance crossed her face for a second, then apparently deciding she had no choice, walked over to the dumpster. She opened the lid and gagged, then jumped in. Gakupo closed the lid and turned around.

Although they were coming quite slowly (Len didn't know why or how they did it) they were only a couple feet away from the two now. Gakupo scowled as he and Len stood, back-to-back. There were about five men on Gakupo's side and three on Len's. "Okay," He told Len quietly. "I'll handle the five on my side, you handle the three. I'll try to watch your back the best I-" Len snickered.

"You underestimate me, Kamui." He told him, eye glinting and a smirk on his face. "I'll get seven of 'em. _You_ guard the dumpster." Gakupo's violet eyes widened at Len's proposal. Even he was uncertain about taking seven beefy, grown men on and he'd been training for six years. Before Gakupo could protest, Len was off.

He switched sides so that he was facing the five and charged. Len ducked as one of them swung his fist toward his head and he grabbed his arm and back of the neck, and threw him to the wall. Len leaned to the left as a fist headed his way and he turned and gave the person a nice, hard uppercut before kicking him in the stomach, making him stumble back quite a bit. Although it didn't completely knock him down, it gave the Kagamine time to deal with the other three coming at him. He eyed the other three Gakupo was currently fighting. He said he'd get the seven of them, and yet he was only fighting five. _Guess we'll have to change that._

"Kamui!" The Kagamine called. The purple-haired teen scowled at him.

"Don't call me-"

"Move, Grandpa!" Gakupo paused, then watched as Len picked up a nearby trash can. He dove out of the way as Len hurled it at two men he was currently dealing with, only keeping the lid in his hands. Gakupo didn't exactly know why, but he was kind of expecting him to throw one of the guys he was fighting at the other side. But then again, they were pretty big and probably extremely heavy, too.

Len turned and smacked one of the guys with the trashcan lid, as if it were a mighty shield rather than a flimsy thing made of tin. Len ducked as one of the men growled frustratedly and threw a punch toward him. However, there was another person that was sneaking up silently behind the Kagamine, so when he ducked, the guy ended up hitting his ally.

"You fuckin' dumbass!" The one who got hit roared. Len's eyes trailed to the one that he threw to the wall earlier and he punched one of the men in the jaw and kicking the other one in the stomach. He smashed their heads together and, noticing that the one he threw against the wall as beginning to stir, rushed over there and kicked him in the head, then the side a few times. He turned as another one (where the fuck did he come from?) charged towards him, a knife clutched in his hands. For a split second, Len considered getting his own dagger out and ending this once and for all. Although they weren't much of a trouble to deal with, they were still annoying nonetheless and would keep getting up after Len knocked them down. But then he remembered that Gakupo was with him. _Fuck my life. Of course Mr. Samurai has to complicate things._

He leaned back as the thug sliced at his torso, the knife barely grazing the fabric of his grey sweatshirt. He ducked and, figuring that he couldn't use his knife, grabbed the next best thing. A steel pipe. He held it up, deflecting a blow from the man's dagger. Len shoved the knife away and dodged yet another fortunately inaccurate swipe. After punching the man in the jaw, Len raised the steal pipe and smacked him in the head, not as hard as he could for he feared that it may kill him, but definitely hard enough to knock him out.

Len didn't even turn around- he knew that another man was creeping up behind him- as his elbow flew back and hit his enemy in the nose. He only turned around to hit him with the steel pipe. "Gramps!" Len called to Gakupo. He was up against three men again. _Looks like they didn't stay down long_ , Len thought as he tossed the pipe to the purple-haired teen, who caught it, a grin replacing the irritated scowl on his face a second before.

Gakupo ducked and hit one of the men's knee with the pipe. He double over with a groan and Gakupo hit the back of his head, sending him to the ground. He spun around and caught the fist of a bald man with an inky black tattoo covering half his face and stomped on his foot. The man flinched and Gakupo brought his hand up and smacked a ginger man behind him the head of the pipe before stepping back and punching the man with his other fist, making him crumple to the ground.

Len paused and looked around him. Quiet groans filled the alleyway, bodies of unconscious men on the cold floor. Gakupo raised his eyebrows at the Kagamine, a smirk on his face.

"Not bad, Kagamine."

"You too, Gramps."

* * *

Miku was on a park bench. Alone. At night. Pretty girl all alone plus night time equals trouble, and after the Kagamine's recent experience, it was safe to say that he flipped his shit.

"What the hell are you doing out here? Alone? At night?!" He hissed as soon as he was within hearing range. She blinked, but the blond wasn't quite finished yet. "Do you know how dangerous that is? You're wearing such a flimsy outfit and you're revealing enough skin for perverts in white vans to want a piece of that cake, Jesus, won't you be more careful?" Miku scoffed and looked down at her knee-high black dress.

"You're the one to talk!" She shot back. "You know how worried you make me? You're gonna give me a heart attack one day, jerk. And stop talking to me like I'm a slut, this dress isn't even short." Len rolled his eye and sat down.

"It's short enough for assholes to look in all the wrong places!"

"Since when did you become my mom?!" Miku visibly faltered at the last part and grew quiet, much to Len's dismay. Even if it was banter and argument, Len wanted her to say _something_ , anything. He sat down with a small sigh. _Oh...fuck my life..._

"Listen..." He told her, struggling to find the right words that would make her feel better. Len used to have a way with words, but now, not so much. "Today's...not a good day for you. I assume that's why you've been so quiet. If you don't wanna tell me, I'm completely fine with that. But at least, and this is literally probably the only time I'll be asking of this so pay attention, let me know of what...I can do to...help..." Len inwardly cringed. Len Kagamine wasn't one to do what others told him to do; in fact, he usually did the opposite just to piss them off. But just this once, he'd do it for Miku. Definitely not because he was growing feelings for her. The mere thought almost made him laugh. Him and the Leek Freak? That was real funny.

"...Today's the day of an accident." She finally said after a minute, her voice so quiet that Len almost didn't hear her. "I was 14. My mom and dad were taking me home from a friend's house. They told me we were moving; it was somewhere in California because of a job offer. I...guess I talked back too much. Rubbed my pops in the wrong way. He took his eyes off the road, just for a minute, and then..." Her voice trailed off to a whisper and she stopped speaking. Len was surprised. He'd never seen nor heard of Miku's parents and although he brought it up several times, she always dodged the question. He suspected that maybe Miku's only guardian was her older brother, but he never thought that she lost her parents... _recently._

"Don't tell me you blame yourself..." Len carefully told her. The look on her face and pained, blaming tone of her voice was all too familiar to the Kagamine. The thick silence afterwards confirmed his theory. "...Why?" He finally asked, giving her a serious look. She bit her lip and looked away.

"I shouldn't have lashed out like that, said those disrespectful things. Maybe if my dad hadn't lost his temper and turned around to scold me, then maybe...maybe he would've seen that car..." Len noted that Miku's voice was trembling slightly. He awkwardly patted her shoulder, feeling like he should do something but not quite knowing what.

"The accident wasn't your fault." Miku looked doubtful and opened her mouth to say something, but Len put his hand up. "Don't beat yourself up over something that you had no control over. _None_ of it was your fault. Blaming yourself for something you couldn't control is something they wouldn't have wanted. Now, you're one of the most damn, annoyingly considerate people I know, so at least consider what I said." After a moment of thick and awkward silence, Miku finally spoke, her voice lighter and less pained.

"...You know you're still an idiot, right?" She muttered. Len scoffed lightly.

"Takes one to know one."

"Touche." She told him. She took her phone from her pocket and checked the time, and winced. "It's nearly 11:00. I should probably head home..." She said as she got up. She began to walk away. "Cya, Kagamine." She called. Len blinked, then stood up and scrambled after the tealette.

"Oi! Where the hell do you think you're going?" He asked. The girl raised her eyebrows at him.

"Uh...to my house...?" She answered. "You plan on following me home, Mr. Stalker?" Len scoffed.

"It's late out and you-"

"I have that pocket knife you gave me, don't get your panties in a twist," Miku snickered. Len shot her a small glare.

"All because you have that thing doesn't mean you're gonna kick ass. You probably don't even know how to use it." Miku raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips.

"Excuse me, but you showed me how to open it, remember?" She said smugly, as if that changed the fact that she probably didn't know how to properly defend herself with it. _My God,_ Len though warily, _what the hell did she do before I got here?_

"That doesn't mean you know how to use it against someone." Len told her. He sighed. "Just let me walk you home. Knowing your clumsy-ass self, you'll probably trip over your own feet, fall in a hole, and knock yourself out."

And so, they bickered playfully the whole time. He'd never admit it, but for once, Len was relieved for Miku's stupid insults. She seemed to almost be back to her normal self by now, but whether or not this was true, Len had no clue. He hoped it was.

"You're retarded if you think Captain America could win against Iron Man." Miku stated. "I mean, yeah, he's pretty hot, but lets be real here. Iron man has an _iron suit_ and weapons built into it, plus he can freakin' _fly_."

"But Captain America has crazy moves," Len reminded her, arms crossed, " _and_ a shield that can never be broken. He could break Iron Man's suit apart and render him defenseless. Unlike Mr. Stars  & Stripes, who is actually a pretty decent fighter, Iron Man mostly relies on his suit for combat."

"But will Mr. Stars & Stripes ever get far enough to wreck Iron Man's suit?"

"He might."

"I'm not convinced."

"You're too thick-headed to be convinced." He stated. She scoffed and smacked the back of his head. He winced and rubbed the spot where she'd hit him. Miku was fairly strong for such a skinny and petite girl, but her hits never _really_ hurt him. He just liked to humor her.

Well...maybe they _did_ hurt sometimes.

"Funny coming from you," She told him. "Now, if you would kindly let go of my hand so I can get in my house..."

"Huh?" Len said, giving her a confused stare. "The hell are you talking about?" She rolled her eyes then brought her hand up. And Len felt his own hand go up at the same time. _Oh. Hell no. No. This can't be real, she must be mind controlling me or something._

She smirked as Len stared, dumbfounded, at their interlocked hands. _Fuck my life. Fuck my life. Fuck my life. Fuck my life._ With cheeks that were flushed more than he'd admit, he tore his hand away from hers. "You have a firm hold, Kagamine," Miku teased, not helping with Len's embarrassment.

"W-What the hell?!" He yelped. "I didn't- you must've done that or something!" Miku snickered as they approached the front door of her home.

"I didn't. _You_ did. Halfway after we left the park, I felt your hand creep up to mine and grab hold like an octopus. So cute, Lenny. If you wanted to hold a girl's hand that bad you could've just asked me!" She grinned at seeing the Kagamine's cheeks turn from a dusty pink to crimson red.

"Wh-Why the hell didn't you say anything?!" He snapped. She shrugged. Truthfully, Len's hands were quite soft- softer than she imagined- and surprisingly warm.

"My hands were cold, and I didn't want to crush your dreams." She chuckled. Before he could protest, she was opening the door. "Night, Lover Boy." Before Len knew it, his hand was on the door, stopping it from closing. Miku, eyebrows raised in question, opened it a bit wider. Len awkwardly cleared his throat.

"So..." He said, mentally cringing at himself. Nearly everything he did made him internally cringe. Perhaps he should think things through before he spoke. That seemed like a good idea.

"...Yeah?" She said, blinking. Len took something out of his pocket- a small black box. He tossed it to her without warning. She yelped and let go of the door to attempt to catch it. She fumbled with it for a minute before finally clutching it in her hands. "A heads up would be nice!" She told him. He shrugged.

"Being a millionaire also sounds nice." He told her. "Anyways, whenever we pass by that store you keep staring at it. Now that you've got it, lets pray that you won't request to go in that store everyday." Miku blinked, then looked down at the box. Then, as if processing that it was what she had always wanted, her eyes widened and she opened it and gasped.

The ring inside was silver and water-themed. The silver band resembled ocean waves and there was a small band of blue gems (Len wasn't sure if it was real or not, considering it cost nearly $40) ranging from dark blue to a nearly transparent blue, to a very light blue. Honestly, Len didn't see anything really special about it. It was pretty, sure, and cost a lot of money for a piece of jewelry, but everyday when they passed the jewelry store Miku would sneak glances at it with nostalgia and admiration shining in her eyes. He figured that maybe if he bought it for her she'd stop sulking.

"You- you actually got...it?" She asked, staring at him with wide blue eyes. He shrugged. "But- but it cost so much money...d-did you actually pay for it?!"

"No, I stole it." He told her sarcastically. When her stunned facial expression didn't change, he rolled his eye. "Obviously I paid for it." Miku flinched.

"It was nearly $40-"

"Ah, just shut up and accept it." He told her. She blinked and closed the box, then smiled warmly at him, a teasing glint in her eyes.

"You got something that expensive for little ole' me?" She drawled. "I knew you were in love with me~" Len scowled.

"Shut up! Don't think I'm gonna shower you with gifts or anything, this is the only time I buy you something, you hear?!" Miku laughed and went forward to hug Len. He sputtered at the sudden action.

"You're so emotionally constipated, Kagamine. But I guess that Tsundere-ness of yours is part of your charm. Really, thanks."

* * *

 ** _3rd POV_**  
"Len? What of Len Kagamine?" The girl asked coolly, drumming her pale, slender fingers on her desk. The man in front of her shifted nervously. Though he was a large, beefy grown man, he still feared the petite 16 year-old in front of him. And he had reason to. She was dangerous. Insane. Obsessive. And most of all, unbelievably powerful.

"We...have failed to capture him, m'lady..." He answered with a gulp. She stopped drumming her fingers on the dark oak desk to stare at him. She leaned forward and he cowered under his fiery gaze.

"And why is that?" She asked, her voice hard. "You were fairly confident in your plan, were you not?!" He nodded slowly.

"Y-Yes, but...there were...complications..." He admitted. She raised her eyebrows and gestured for him to go on.

"You see, he did appear, but...somebody else was there as well. Kamui Gakupo was his name." She growled and stood up, her fists clenched.

"That son of a bitch..." She snarled. She shot him another glare. "And why didn't you get rid of him?! Really, is it so hard for you lot of fucking baboons to kill _one_ little nuisance?" She roared. The man flinched and rubbed his bruised jaw.

"T-They...knocked us out." She let out a quiet exhale and closed her eyes, trying to regain her composure.

"And the others. Why have only you returned?" She coldly asked, her gaze so sharp that it could've pierced through the man. His hands trembled slightly as he told her.

"I-I was the only one that got out. The others were knocked out cold when I woke and the cops were just 'round the corner..." She was quiet. He was expecting an explosion, for he knew that she wasn't a very patient person when it came to what she so desperately wanted. Instead, the next words she spoke were quiet and nearly inaudible.

"You've wasted some of my finest men on your last mission, and now you come to me with this failure...is there anything else I should know?" He bit his lip and shook his head, his heart pounding in his chest.

"N-No ma-" He never got to finish his sentence. In a fit of silent rage, the girl had grabbed her dagger from the desk drawer than threw it at the man's stomach. He gurgled, looked down, then hit the floor, howling in pain. She marched over there and kicked him over so that she could grab her knife, then with the same knife, stabbed him in the eye. Even after he went silent, she continued to stab and stab, letting her anger out on the corpse. The guard at the door didn't even flinch. It wasn't the first time she had killed someone because they have failed her.

When she finished, she was breathing hard and splattered with blood. She got up and looked down at the bloodied body, the knife sticking out of his chest. She pulled it out and nodded to the guard. He opened the door and gestured someone to come inside. A few more men came in and carried the body out of the room.

She wandered to the wall. Pictures of Len Kagamine were taped to the wall, like some sort of sick shrine. In some, he was in a classroom doing a test. In others, he was taking a stroll in the park and so on. She tenderly touched one of the pictures with a small sigh. "Why is it that I could never be happy?" She muttered. "Why must it be so hard to obtain such a beauty...?" The guard in the back cleared his throat intentionally, giving her a sign that he wished to speak.

"If you have something to say, say it now." She ordered without turning. The guard complied.

"M'lady, if we cannot capture him...then what if he comes to us instead?" He made sure to choose his words carefully. The girl froze, then turned around, curiosity in her eyes.

"That's not a bad idea..." She mused. "But how could we get him to come here?" The guard shifted nervously.

"Well...we can lure him with a hostage..." Again, he was careful with his choice of words. Anything could set her off- she was unstable at this moment. She paused, then smiled.

"I see where you're going with this..." She told him. She nodded. "Bring him in here." The guard opened the door and said something to the people outside, who rushed to get a certain prisoner. She chuckled and looked at the guard.

"If this works...you will be rewarded handsomely." The guard looked enthusiastic at this and nodded excitedly. She smirked. If you wanted mindless slaves, all you really needed was power and money. Not long after, two guards and a man in between came in the room. They shoved the man to the floor. He was in chained, the iron cuffs making bruises on his ankles and wrists. His clothes were dirtied with blood and grime, and so was his hair.

She smirked and strut over to him. His head was bowed down, the hair covering his face. "Hello there. Long time no see." She cooed. He scoffed.

"Go to hell," He grumbled. She smiled sweetly.

"Such language," She sighed. "Tell me, have you been enjoying your stay here?" The person snorted.

"It's absolutely lovely," He rasped sarcastically. "The beds are so comfortable and the food is amazing. The workers here are excellent, too." She giggled.

"Oh, you!" She said. She eyed him, slightly agitated that he hadn't looked at her yet. "Look at me." He bowed his head down lower as if defying her. She sighed softly and reached down and forced his head up. She studied his face and smiled.

"So handsome..." She commented. He spat at her in response. She stared at him for a moment before striking him in the face, the sound of her hand hitting his cheek incredibly loud in the quiet room. The sound even made the guards flinch.

"How rude..." She muttered. "But not that it matters. I suppose I should be thanking you for allowing me to finally meet Len Kagamine in the future." The man stiffened at the mention of Len's name like the girl hoped he would. The look in his eye was enough to satisfy her.

"Did you say...Len Kagamine?" He asked slowly. She nodded and he growled. "You fucking bitch! Don't you dare go near him!" He snarled. She tilted her head, then giggled, patting him on the head as if he were a harmless dog.

"Touchy subject?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Then it'll work. After all, Len Kagamine treasures his family very much. And I'm sure he'd be very happy to see you..." She smirked as she stared at the blonde man in front of her, a sense of triumph settling over her. Finally, _finally_ she could see the one that had captured her heart.

"... _Yohio._ "

 **Fuck my Life count: 8**

 **OH PLOT TWIST-**

 **so len's daddy (haha dont kill me) isn't gone. But how? Who's this mystery girl (I think we all know who it is) and YAAAAY GAKUPO SCREENTIME! and cute lenku scenes yeeee**

 **so I'd really love to hear your theories on how Yohio is alive (or is he?) and even on why you think Len's sword and father share the same name...nehehe.** **  
** **'till next time .**

 **Ciao~**


	22. Chapter 22

_**Len**_  
Len was in a blindingly white room when he came to.

Naturally, being in a room he didn't recognize with no memory of how he got there, he reached for his dagger inside his coat pocket. The problem was that it was gone. And so were all his hidden weapons. Even Yohio, who was usually present on his finger, was gone. That was fantastic. "Oh, fuck my life..." He grumbled irritably, freezing when there was a sound in the corner of the room behind him.

He turned, and he sure as hell didn't do it slowly like the people in horror movies did. He spun around so quickly he almost felt dizzy. There were two people in the back- or was it the front?- of the room. A girl sat in a chair- or, throne was the right word for it- that had a red, cushy seat and gold edges. Her silver hair looked as rich as silver and as silky as silk itself. Her skin was pale and her ruby red eyes were doe-like and wide, her eyelashes so long that it probably could've come close to brushing her rosy cheeks. She held a chain and sat with her pale, slender legs crossed, her cheek resting in her palm as if she were bored.

A man lay on the floor, the chain the girl held connected to something- Len assumed it was a steel collar of some sort- near his neck. His hands were bound together by a pair of steel cuffs. He seemed too skinny to be healthy and his white clothes were torn and bloodied and caked with dirt and dust. He was barefoot, but Len could see small cuts and scrapes present on the pale skin. His hair was long and shaggy and just a bit past his shoulders. The blonde locks were tangled and obviously haven't been cleaned in a while. He was turned so Len couldn't see his face, but Len felt a sense of familiarity when he looked at him.

The girl perked up, immediately sitting up straighter, the chain rattling as she put her hands on her lap. She smiled at him, her eyes shining brightly with excitement. "Len? Len Kagamine?" She breathed. _Fuck my life._ Len eyed her warily. She had someone on a leash. A sign that she's dangerous. Len eyed her long sleeves- she could very well be hiding a weapon in there. She also didn't seem too surprised that she was in a room of all white with nothing but a throne she currently sat one. _Could it be she organized whatever the fuck this is?_ Len thought suspiciously. She also knew his name, making the odds that she brought him here even higher. Len was in a place he knew nothing about and was disarmed. He had to be careful because even if the girl was petite and didn't look threatening, he knew all too well that those who underestimate often end up dead or worse.

"...Who's askin'?" He finally said. The girl smiled and stood and walked towards him, and extended her hand. Len tensed and eyed her outstretched hand, but didn't take it, much to the girl's disappointment. She put her hand down with a sigh.

"I'm Tei Sukone," She introduced. She smiled again. "And you're Len Kagamine!" She smiled at him brightly and Len raised his eyebrow slowly. She didn't say it with malice or venom like the people with Blackport, but with, strangely...affection. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a tad creeped out. The girl looked back at the man with a frown and tugged the chain. He didn't budge. She yanked the chain harder, so hard that the body actually moved. The man made a hissing sound, as if defying Tei's obvious order to come. Her eyes flared and her free hand curled into a fist as she stalked over to the man.

Len wasn't necessarily surprised when she kicked him in the side. With the fury in her eyes at such a small and simple act of refusal, he figured that she'd get violent and angry. But something about it made him flinch. He didn't know what it was, but it made him on edge. Needless to say, he got a little anxious when she kept on beating him.

"Think that's enough?" He finally said. Tei stopped, breathing heavily, then nodded and turned to him, a smile on her face as if she had just baked an apple pie for him instead of mercilessly beating her prisoner.

"I suppose I got a little carried away there," She said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked back at the man, who was holding his side and viciously coughing up blood onto the floor. She yanked the chain again, but this time he scrambled to where he was supposed to go. Tei seemed pleased at this, as if she had accomplished something that was quite hard to do.

"I have a proposal for you, my dear," Tei told Len. Len raised his eyebrows. _What the fuck is her angle here? I don't think she's from Blackport- she doesn't bear the symbol anywhere at all and she doesn't seem familiar. What do you think, Rei?_ It was probably stupid, asking a homicidal asshole that wanted to take over his body what he thought of the situation, but Len learned that sometimes Rei could be quite helpful, because, as he put it, "their determination is a valuable aspect and seeing who's worthy is important."

Len was shocked when he received no reply. Rei could be quite talkative and would gladly babble on and on given the chance. But now, he said nothing. _Rei?_ Len called once more. Again, he was quiet. As if he wasn't even there. _Fuck my life..._

It was strange to think that the parasite that Len wanted to kill off for the longest time could make him feel unsettled by simply not being there.

"Rei can't communicate with you at the moment." Tei told him as if reading his mind. Len was beginning to think that maybe she was with Blackport. How else would she know about Rei? She frowned. "Oh dear. You'll be waking up soon." She sighed. Len blinked.

"Excuse me? Waking up?" He asked, then followed up with another question. "Actually, where the everloving fuck am I and what's going on? Why the hell did you bring me here, and who's that guy?" He pointed to the blonde man kneeling on the floor. Tei cast a glance at him, an amused glint in her eyes.

"Someone very, very special." Tei cooed. She smiled and brought her hand up to his face. However, not trusting the strange girl in front of him, Len pushed her hand away. She looked slightly hurt at this. Not that Len really cared. He barely knew this girl and she was obviously crazy.

"Well...you see, this man has certain...relations to you. And your sword. Tomorrow at midnight, come to the Vocton mall. The one in process. You'll see a limo waiting for you. Get in, and you'll be driven to me." Len snorted.

"My mom always told me not to get into a car with a stranger." He replied. He heard the man snort under his breath, as if amused by his response. "Why should I go with you? How do I know you're not some axe-murderer?" Tei raised her eyebrows.

"You know my name- therefore, I'm not a stranger." She told him. "I know you can take on an axe-murderer. I have an offer for you, but there's no time to discuss it. I'm not with Blackport, rest assured, and I mean you no harm." She smiled charmingly at him. The man growled.

"No," He spat. His voice was deep and hoarse, but sounded familiar. "Don't do it, Len." Len stared at the guy. _Seriously, who the hell_ is _that?_ Tei looked down at him and smiled, reaching down to caress his cheek, even though his head was bowed so his face couldn't be seen. He jerked away, and Len couldn't say he blamed him. Tei had been beating the poor guy up a few minutes ago, after all.

"Don't you fu-" He stopped himself. " _-dging_ touch me." Len raised his eyebrows. He had stopped himself from cursing, as if there was a child around. Perhaps it was just a habit. Then that would mean they he had kids, or at least he was around them a lot. Len wondered if the man had a family before he was taken prisoner or whatever.

"Uh-uh, remember, my sweet, keep your pretty little mouth shut." She chirped, then grinned a wicked smile. "We don't want that Riliane getting hurt now, do we?" The mention of his mother's name caught his attention. Riliane? How did they know her? _Unless...she's a hostage for that man. He must care for her a lot... but who the fuck is he?!_

"What? Riliane? What about her?" Len demanded, his tone sharp. Tei looked at him, then frowned.

"Meet me, and all will be revealed." She informed him. She smiled and took his hand in hers, but Len was too shocked to notice. They knew about his mother. Did they know about Miku or IA, too? If that was the case, then wouldn't they have gotten them sooner as hostages?

"Wait, hold on, don't give me that bullshit because I think all of us aren't dumb enough to fall for that god damned trap-"

"Midnight. Vocton mall. Tomorrow. I'll see you then."

And with that, she and the man evaporated and the white room went black.

* * *

When Len woke- for real, this time- he was at his desk in Science class. Len slowly sat up and winced, rubbing the side of his face. Sleeping with your cheek on a cold, hard desk definitely wasn't comfortable.

The classroom was empty. Len blinked and cast a look at the clock. 4:30. _It's so late...fuck my life..._ How the hell did he even get here? He was pretty sure he was at his house eating a burrito or something before dozing off...

 _No matter. What the hell was that dream?_ He thought as he gathered his stuff. _They know about Riliane, and that man...I know him from somewhere...but for fuck's sake, where?_ Len's frustration grew as he trudged through the deserted halls. The man was familiar, but not in a bad way. It was more of a long-lost-best-friend-from-kindergarten kind of thing.

Len halted, taking a moment to quit thinking to listen closely. Grunting and sounds of struggle and anger could be heard from somewhere around the building- both females. _Cat fight?_ Len thought, wandering over to the sound. _Better break it up before someone gets sued._ As Len rounded near the corner, he paused for a split second before throwing his backpack to the ground and rushing to the pair.

Never did he expect _Miku_ to be involved in a fight.

It was with some brunette that was about an inch taller than the tealette. Her face was caked in make-up and the ends of her hair were blonde- dyed. She let out a high-pitched, girly yell as she continued yanking on Miku's hair.

Miku, however, wasn't fighting like the typical little bitch. She wasn't pulling the other girl's hair or clawing at her face and stomping on her feet. No, Miku was fighting like a god damn _champ_. In Len's eyes, at least. She was actually throwing decent punches to her opponent's sides and stomach. Miku managed to land a blow hard enough to make the girl's grip on her hair loosen, she immediately stood straighter and threw a successful uppercut, followed by a left hook.

The poor girl- although Len had stopped to watch, shamelessly and silently cheering for Miku- was the typical sissy girl with the fake painted nails and perfect make-up. Meaning she was as tough as a baby that just came out of the womb. Miku grabbed her by the hair and slammed her face into her raised knee before shoving her back.

Len had to give the brunette credit, though. She was determined. Or pissed off. Both, probably. She charged again and attacked Miku from behind, who, with a loud yell, flipped her over, throwing her to the ground. Still holding the girl's arm, she kicked her in the side before stepping on her other arm. "Talk shit, get hit, bitch!" She snarled.

Len was fucking surprised.

The brunette looked over at the Kagamine and immediately faked a few tears. "L-Lenny, s-she's hu-hurting me!" She sobbed, as if she knew Len and he knew her. He blinked. _Who was this bitch again...?_

Miku let out a surprised noise and stepped away. The brunette bolted up and rant into Len's arms- seriously, who the _fuck_ was this chick?- as if she was a damsel in distress and Miku was the big bad villain. He tried to shrug her off, but she clung to him as if her life depended on it. He sighed.

"First off, who started it?" Miku pointed at the brunette, and the brunette pointed at Miku. They shot each other glares so fierce that Len was sure that they'd start fighting again.

"She hit me!" The brunette whined childishly as he brought her hand up to her split lip and bruised cheek.

"No shit, Princess. What did you expect, tickles and a pillow fight?" Len sarcastically replied. The girl flushed, from anger or embarrassment he couldn't tell. Miku shot the brunette a glare as she put her hand to her nose, trying to stop the bleeding. Apparently, the girl must've thrown a decent punch at some point.

"She was talking smack about my parents," Miku growled. Len immediately understood. He knew that Miku's parents was a sore subject for her, and he couldn't say that he didn't blame her.

"That doesn't mean you-" The girl started heatedly.

"Talk shit, get hit." Len coolly replied, shrugging her off successfully. "The only thing that's seriously hurt is probably your pride. Go home and learn not to be an asshole if you don't wanna mess up your make-up next time." She gave Len a disbelieving stare.

"But my lip is bleeding and she bruised my face-"

"Walk it off!" He told her with an eye roll. "Go home or something."

"But-"

"Sorry, is there an echo? Go. Home." She huffed, but eventually complied with an obvious disappointment that he didn't protect her. _Well she can go fuck herself._ He thought as he watched her leave. He knew what was coming next. She'd tell all her friends about it and warp the truth, then rumors would spread, and then Len's reputation would hit rock bottom.

He honestly ran out of fucks to give.

He sighed and looked back at Miku. She had put her hair down and massaged her scalp with one hand, her other hand still over her bleeding nose. At least she wasn't crying or anything. He walked over to her and took a handkerchief out of his pocket and pried her hand away from her nose to clean some of the blood on her face before pressing the cloth to her nose. "Here. Apply pressure to the nostrils and lean your head forward a bit." She nodded and did what he told her to do.

"Does your scalp hurt?" He asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. That bitch has probably been pulling hair in fights since she was a god damned toddler." She grumbled. Len moved behind her.

"Yeah. Probably." He agreed before hesitantly reaching forth, running his fingers through her tangled teal hair before slowly beginning to massage her scalp. She let out a surprised noise.

"Wha-"

"Shut up. You want me stop?" He grumbled, his cheeks heating up. Lately, his face has been feeling hotter than usual. Maybe he was running a fever. Miku paused.

"...Not really." She admitted. "It feels nice." Len wondered what the scene must've looked like to an outsider. On second thought, maybe he didn't want to know. Seeing a girl trying to stop a bloody nose while a guy massages her scalp next to the highschool would probably make the person think strange things. Finding the silence a tad uncomfortable, Len decided to speak.

"Since when could you throw a decent punch?" He asked. Miku scoffed.

"Since always!" She replied. Len raised his eyebrows.

"Miku, whenever you do so much as playfully punch me or Rin, you immediately complain about how that hurt your knuckles." He informed. Miku huffed and Len assumed she rolled her eyes.

"Ha! I always faked the pain." She excused. "I'm a great actor, aren't I?" Len rolled his eye. He could always see through Miku's excuses easily. If anything, she was a horrible actress.

"And why's that?" He asked, just to humor her.

"Because...then you won't know how powerful I am. Yeah!" She said. Len snorted. For some reason, the thought of Miku as some powerful superhero was very amusing. The girl couldn't even open a pickle jar.

"Whatever you say, Leek Freak." He told her. "Where'd you learn to fight...well, decently? Especially that little flip you performed back there?" He asked, genuinely curious.

Miku chuckled nervously and pulled the handkerchief away from her nose. "The bleeding's stopped. I suppose-"

"Oh God, don't tell me Gakupo's been teaching you." Len sourly said. Gakupo was a flirt machine. If he were to teach Miku, alone, who knows what he could do. Not that he'd do anything particularly against her will, but he'd try to get in her panties and that was something Len did not like one bit. _Oh God_ , Len thought, _what if that slimy bastard's trying to seduce her?!_ "Did he do anything to you? Oh fuck, he hasn't been making you uncomfortable has he? I'll kill him-"

Miku turned and rolled her eyes at him. "Jealous, are we?" She teased. Len blinked.

"...So he _has_ -"

"No, calm your tits."

"I don't have any tits to calm." Len shot back, though he felt slightly better but still curious nonetheless. If it wasn't Gakupo, who could've taught her? Maybe she was taking classes or something. But why would she be so reluctant to say so if that was the case? Miku cleared her throat and clasped her hands behind her back.

"I may...have, uhm, picked a few things up from..." She cleared her throat again and looked away. Len raised his eyebrows.

"Who?" He said, crossing his arms. "They must be a bad influence-"

"...You..." Miku muttered. Len paused to stare at her.

"Eh?" He said. He only recalled engaging in combat only once in front of Miku, but that was long ago little after they first met. How the hell could she have picked up, much less remember, some of the moves he performed on the enemy? _Well...fuck my life..._

"Sometimes when I stay over at Rin's, I see you practicing in the backyard." She explained. "And...I may have learned a few things." Len blinked. So he unknowingly taught her a few things about fighting? He wasn't sure if he should be proud or not. Miku coughed awkwardly.

"I'm tired of being...defenseless." She admitted. "I don't want to be a victim. I wanna learn how to fight." She looked up at him, her eyes determined and fiery. _She's asking me to teach her, isn't she...? Ah...fuck my life..._ Len wasn't exactly good with words or accurately explaining things. Which was why he wouldn't last a day being a teacher.

"Then...you should probably take classes...somewhere." Len said. Miku rolled her eyes and looked down at the bloodied handkerchief.

"Ew. Have fun cleaning this out." She said, handing him the handkerchief. "I want _you_ to teach me." Len wrinkled his nose and made a gesture that said that he didn't want the handkerchief.

"Keep it. I don't want any of your bloody boogers." He said. Miku raised her eyebrows at him before looking at the handkerchief then carelessly throwing it over her shoulder. Litterer. "I can't teach worth a shit. It'll be easier to get some professional guy to do it." Miku shrugged.

"I don't know those people. They could be weirder than you are." Len glared at her.

"What the hell do you mean by that?!" Len snapped. She shrugged as she gathered her hair into a ponytail.

"I feel comfortable around you." She said simply, as if that explained everything. She grinned toothily. "Besides, I have faith in you." Len scoffed and rolled his eye. Where was all this coming from? He expected a snarky kind of response, but her voice was sincere. Strange.

"And why's that?"

"Because I'll be learning from the best."

* * *

This was the 3rd time Len got jumped by Blackport members.

And like all the other times, they were all as good as dead. Dead bodies lay on the concrete floor, some in a puddle of blood and others in two pieces. All except for one- Jacob.

When Len saw that he was the only one left he internally cursed. _Him again? Fuck my life._ He was honestly surprised that he came back for him. Last time they met, Len broke the older man's nose. It was kinda funny though, seeing a big tough guy get beaten up by a teenager. Maybe Len was a sadist after all.

Jacob was bloodied and obviously not in great shape. His leg was bent at an odd angle and he was clutching his bleeding arm. Blood ran from his mouth and down the side of his head and from his nose. "You're not lookin' so hot." Len commented. Jacob smirked.

"After this, Devil's Dog...neither will you." Before Len could blink, Jacob pulled out two guns from the inside of his coat and immediately began firing. Len realized how stupid it was to feel smug and underestimate your enemies, even when they're on the verge of death. It was the one thing that he always used against his opponent, and it was the one thing that got them killed. Needless to say, he was surprised when the bullets came speeding towards him, and in a rush, willed the bullets to stop. They did.

One was so close to his forehead he could almost feel the cold metal tip of it. And then they all dropped. Len grabbed a gun from one of the dead men's hands and wasted no time shooting Jacob in the throat. He choked for a minute, blood gushing from his wound and mouth before smirking. "See you...in hell..." He gurgled before going limp, the life in his eyes draining. Len blinked before leaning against a wall for support

Len felt weak. He wanted nothing more than to collapse on a bed and go to sleep, and he felt himself pale and his hands tremble. _Fuck my life...I hate the god damn rebounds of that thing..._ Len thought tiredly. And then he heard it. The click of someone pulling the hammer back on a gun.

It was at this moment that he knew- he fucked up.

He turned around quickly and shots were fired immediately. Len didn't dodge it, nor did he stop it. He felt the bullets pierce his torso, stomach area, under his collarbone, and right shoulder. But even when the pain was so great that the edges of his vision were turning black and he felt like falling, Len still walked forth to the source.

Bullets still flying and his body lurching back every time he was hit, he still walked toward his target and without hesitation brought the gun up to his enemy's head and pulled the trigger. The body fell with a loud, audible thump.

Len, feeling the metallic taste of blood both on his tongue and running down from the sides of his mouth, followed and collapsed. He turned so that he was facing the sky. He coughed. "God fucking dammit..." He rasped. "Fuck my life...Miku's gonna kill me...for not being able to teach her..." The thought of the fiery teallette made the Kagamine smirk, even when he was on the verge of death.

Len Kagamine's luck finally ran out.

And so, with one last breath, his heart stopped beating as he stared up at the sky dully.

Len Kagamine was dead.

 **Fuck my Life count: 8**

 **dAMN SO I KILLED LEN (I have a thing for killing Len off in some of my other stories...)**

 **Len's daddy makes another appearance in the beginning but Len doesn't necessarily know that it's him yet...**

 **and yeey Miku got in a fight! GO MIKU!**

 **And of course I killed Len off. What do you think's gonna happen...?**

 **I'd love to hear your theories, reactions, and of course comments! P-Please don't hurt me... *hides behind tree***

 **Ciao~**


	23. Chapter 23

**well shit-** **  
** **this chapter wasn't supposed to come out so soon** **  
** **the sequel was supposed to come out after chapt 22 but i got lazy**  
 **dammit i'm supposed to be continuing to write some of my other forgotten fics but nOPE-** **  
** **instead enjoy this piece of shit chapter that's...i have no fcking idea what this is tbh**

 _ **Len**_  
There was no tunnel or white light.

Luckily, there were no flames or demons either.

It was...dark. Pitch black. As if everything had melted away...to nothing. Was it like this before the Big Bang had happened? Was this how Len was going to spend eternity? Just...floating in pure nothingness?

Maybe Hell wasn't filled with the hottest of flames and demons of all the sort, waiting in line to torture you emotionally, mentally, and physically.

Maybe _this_ was Hell.

Even if all the villains of the world gathered, they wouldn't play this cruel joke. **(rare and unprofessional A/N, but whO GETS THAT REFERENCE?!)**

 _Well...shit._ Len thought somewhat bitterly. _That didn't go as planned...fuck my life- or...past life. Whatever._ And with that, he was silent. And time passed. He didn't know how much of it has passed. Five minutes? An hour? A day? A week?

Len honestly didn't know what he was expecting. Maybe for something to happen, God, _anything_ at all. It was foolish to think so. When nearly all hope was lost for the Kagamine, he heard a voice.

"Open your eyes."

 _What the hell? Aren't my eyes already open?_ He thought, somewhat confused. _Dear lord, if I had my god damn eyes closed this whole fucking time I'm gonna slap myself..._

And with that, he opened his eyes like the voice had said. The sight before him was completely different.

He was sitting on a bench. Healthy, emerald green grass was everywhere. A tree hung over where he sat, providing him some shade. A stream snaked through the place, the water crystal clear and aquamarine. They hopped off the stones, making a quiet splashing noise as it continued its' journey down to wherever it led to. Off to Len's left was a waterfall that the stream connected to. The water made a roaring noise that Len could faintly hear from where he sat and seemed to pound down into the small aquamarine lake. The rocks were covered in moss and the area all around the waterfall was covered in greenery, from shrubs, to grass, to beautiful and colorful flowers. Flowers bloomed everywhere, making everything seem colorful and vibrant. They came in many sizes and colors. The sun was shining brightly and the cloudless sky was as blue as ever.

Birds chirped melodiously, and across the stream Len could see...a white lion? _What the hell?_ He thought. It was just laying there peacefully, two cubs playing with each other nearby. If that wasn't bizarre enough, he saw other animals that looked like they didn't belong.

Some type of large deer with enormous antlers ate a plant nearby. A huge winged animal- Len could have sworn it was a pterodactyl, but those things were extinct- flew above. A strange animal that resembled a tiger, only bigger with a much longer tail and piercing violet eyes and dark orange fur with a series of white stripes, slept, a smaller one next to it. In the water, something moved. A few minutes later, a small animal the size of cat lept out of the stream. It looked like a miniature dolphin with scales and a darker gray skin color. It yipped happily at him for a moment before diving back into the water. Len blinked, confused. He was pretty sure all these animals weren't supposed to exist, much less be in a place like this...

Len could hear chattering somewhere nearby. He turned, looking for the source and hoping to get at least some answers. What he saw instead made him even more confused.

Nearby, there was a group of beautiful girls in the small lake, all of them giggling and looking at Len. Some were in the water, and others sat on the rocks near the waterfall. It'd probably be considered a normal scene if they didn't have tails where their legs were supposed to be. They ranged from light blue to a deep dark red to a sea green and even to a golden yellow. They all had long hair that tumbled over their shoulders. One had platinum blonde hair. Another had fiery red hair that went to her shoulders. Two of them had chestnut brown hair and one had pitch black hair. _What the fuck? Mermaids? Am I high or something?_

Before Len could say anything, the mermaids gasped, the blonde & raven-haired ones flushing before diving underwater, the others following. Len blinked. He had never been so confused in his life. There was a voice, and if it wasn't them, then who was it? Most of all, what the hell were these strange animals doing in a place like this? _This shit's giving me a headache..._ Len thought. _Fuck my life...how am I gonna get out of this mess?_

He sighed. "This place is pretty nice for Hell..." He grumbled under his breath. There was a breeze and Len immediately felt a presence next to him.

"Now, why would you think you're in hell, Mr. Kagamine?"

Len jumped up immediately and spun around toward the voice. On the bench he was sitting on earlier was a girl, probably around his age if not a bit older. Her hair was a bob that went to her chin. Her hair was dark violet with lavender highlights. Her eyes were almond-shaped and a dark, deep blue color. She was rather short, but she radiated wisdom and a sort-of motherly aura despite her young age. Her legs were crossed and she wore a simple white dress with spaghetti straps and no shoes. "You've done many extraordinary things out of the love for your family and friends. Your heart may not be pure and it may be darkened with some...negativity, but it still good enough and holds good intentions nonetheless. Despite the things you have done, you are worthy of making it into Heaven."

"Who the fuck are you and where the fuck am I?" Len boldly asked without a second thought. It probably wasn't the best way to approach a stranger that most likely had a lot of power and could kill you in an instant, but Len was already dead...wasn't he? He recalled getting shot and everything turning to black as a wave of sleepiness washed over him. Even for him, there was no way in Hell he could survive that many gunshot wounds. Was this the afterlife, then?

The girl tilted her head. "That's no way to speak to your maker." She replied. There was no anger or venom in her voice, only slight amusement. "But what should I have expected from the famed warrior, Len Kagamine?" Len blinked.

"Alright, lady. I don't know how the hell you know me, or who the hell you are, or what the hell is going on or why there's freaking mermaids here, but I expect some god damned answers sooner or later." The girl stared at him, squinting slightly, before shrugging and leaning back in the bench.

"Me? I have many names, Mr. Kagamine. Some call me Allah, others call me the Creator. Some think that I do not exist, and some do many great and horrible things in my name. I am what makes up this world. I am the speaker of all languages and the creator of all life. I am all that exists and does not exist in this world. I am the living and I am the dead. To you, Len Kagamine, I am known as 'God.'" She replied. Len just stared, not quite knowing what to say. Of course, he was raised a Christian but recently he was beginning to think that maybe God didn't exist after all. What kind of God would allow such unholy and cruel things in this world?

"Well... that's something." He said. "Does that mean that I'm dead? And aren't you supposed to be some old guy with a beard or something like that? And why is the almighty Big G here, speaking to me of all people?" She chuckled and patted the seat next to her.

"Sit, Len." She told him. Len eyed the seat carefully. He was a little suspicious of the whole thing, probably because he was supposed to be dead and was talking to a woman who claimed to be God. Eventually, after weighing the pros and cons, he decided to sit next to her. If she really was God, he didn't really want to piss her off just yet. She clasped her hands together.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Kagamine, you _are_ dead." She told him. Len sighed. Dammit. Rin was probably going to raise him from the dead and kill him again after she finds out. "However, I'm here to offer you something. Something very, very few special people get." Len blinked.

"...But why are you a chick?" He asked flatly. "I mean...I'm not sexist or anything but...I always imagined you as some crusty old guy with a stick or something." Her lips twitched upwards in an amused smile as she looked at her hands, then at her clothes.

"Ah. Well, I have many forms, Len. I'd like to try out being a woman- I've been a male for nearly 100,000 years. But usually, I tend to alter my appearance to what the viewer finds the most pleasing. And you, Mr. Kagamine..." She paused to stare at him before chuckling as her appearance slowly changed. Her hair grew longer, eyes rounder, skin paler until it clicked together. Len flushed as God turned into Miku Hatsune.

"Y-You're kidding," He grumbled. God merely giggled a giggle that Len was so used to hearing from Miku. _God dammit, why? Why now of all time?! Seriously...fuck my life..._

"The heart wants what the heart wants, Len." She replied with a twinkle in her eye. "Don't be so flustered- it's completely normal. If it makes you feel any better, if Miku Hatsune were here, she'd be seeing _you_." Len didn't know how the fuck she'd think that'd help make him feel any better. It just made him blush even more.

"Y-You're delusional..." He mumbled weakly. She merely chuckled, but her eyes turned serious afterwords.

"I'm going to offer you a second chance at life." She told him. "Whether you will take it or not is your choice and your choice alone." Len snorted.

"If I have a choice, why the hell would I say no? And why me, of all people?" He asked with his eyebrows raised. God rolled her shoulders and looked at him, her eyes slightly confused. Len couldn't help but be a little freaked out. He always caught himself about to call her 'Leek Freak' and with good reason. She looked exactly like Miku. Only with a calm, serene expression. Miku would usually be arguing with him or beating him up.

"I cannot heal every single wound. I can heal all but one and the chances of you bleeding out and dying anyways are always possible. I may be a miracle worker, but there are rules even I must follow. Everything comes with a price. And about your little friend up here-" She tapped her head with two of her fingers- "I can remove him right now. You cannot get into Heaven with him around, no matter how pure your heart may be. And if you die next time, I will not be here to remove him. You will not go to Hell, but you'll either be stuck wandering the Earth for eternity, or you'll be damned to Purgatory, the place where you were before I welcomed you here- the Garden of Eden. The Garden was originally created only for Adam and Eve, but the souls who receive the option of a second chance have started coming here."

Len didn't have to think about his answer.

"I'll take the second chance."

God raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure?" She cautiously asked. "Unless you manage to get Rei out before you die, you'll be stuck in Purgatory..." Len gave her a blank stare.

"I don't think I stuttered." He told her without a thought towards his words. She stared at him, seeming to analyze him for a moment.

"If it is your wish, it shall be granted." She said, standing up. She stood in front of him and brought her hand up, then paused.

"If I may ask..." She said, slowly. "Why? You're the only one out of the three people that have chosen to take the second chance while fully knowing of the consequences that may follow." Len looked up at her.

"Aren't you supposed to be God with a capital G?" He asked her. "I have people that I need to protect and that I need to save. It'd be rude, even for me, to keep them waiting, wouldn't it?" God paused to gaze at him, a smile spreading across her face as she reached forth.

"You truly are extraordinary, Mr. Kagamine." She told him. "I wish you good luck. Now...sleep." With that, she pressed her fingers to his temple and everything turned black once more.

* * *

When Len woke up, he was on something soft. He gasped as his eye shot open and he sat up, coughing as if he almost drowned. His eye darted around the room he was currently in. It was his room. How the ever-loving fuck did he get here? He froze as he felt an intense pain in his right shoulder and something warm dribble down his arm. Blood dripped from his fingers and onto the floor and he grit his teeth. _Shit. How long has this been bleeding?_ Judging from how dizzy he was, he figured that he'd lost a decent amount of blood. If he didn't stop it now, he could bleed out. _God...fuck my life...if only Miku or IA were here... but I'll have to deal with it._ He vaguely remembered treating Oliver's gunshot wound once, but the memory was hazy. _Fuck...what did we use? Cloth, gauze, alcohol, something to bite down on, maybe a small bowl and tweezers_... _I think I have all of that._

He could use parts of his clothing as cloth- his shirt was stained anyways. They had gauze in the bathroom across his room, and he could use a belt to bite down on to prevent himself from making any loud, pained noises. But the alcohol... that was downstairs.

He remembered stumbling across his mother's alcohol stash when he was 12. He never told anybody about it, so maybe it was still there. But still, going all the way downstairs was risky. What if Rin saw? He wouldn't be able to answer so easily. He got up and stumbled to the bathroom and grabbed a roll of gauze and tweezers as quickly as he could and threw it in his room. He peered down the stairs. The living room was empty, fortunately. Rin probably wasn't home, or maybe she was in her room. The latter was confirmed when he heard a burst of laughter coming from his twin's room.

Len rushed down the stairs, clutching his arm and breathing heavily as he fell to his knees and flipped the rug over. He swept his hand over the smooth wood until he felt a change. He dug his nails into a small crack and pushed up. It easily opened and revealed a lone bottle of pure Russian Vodka. When he last checked it, there was about 20 of them in the large space. _Riliane's an alcoholic, huh?_ He thought as he grabbed the bottle. He looked down and realized that he left a small trail of blood in his wake. He decided to clean it up later. He turned and another wave of dizziness washed over him, the searing pain in his arm becoming painfully obvious. He stumbled forth, doing his best not to fall over.

He accidentally knocked a glass vase filled with roses down. It landed with a loud crash and he cursed. He wasted no time getting back up and sprinting up the stairs. He closed and locked his door and tore his shirt off. Surprisingly enough, there was no evidence that he was shot anywhere other than his shoulder. He grabbed the tweezers as he inspected the wound. The bullet, surprisingly, was barely lodged in there. He supposed it was a miracle from God.

He heard Rin's door open and about three people walk out. "Rin, Miku. You stay here. I'm gonna what happened." The voice was Kaito's. _Kaito? Since when did he get back?_ Len thought curiously.

"O-Okay." Miku squeaked. Len took his belt off and bit down on it, taking a deep breath through his nose. This was probably gonna hurt like a bitch. Shortly after, as he was about to attempt to retrieve the bullet, Kaito's footsteps neared once again.

"A vase is broken downstairs." Kaito said, his voice full of worry. "There's a trail of blood leading to Len's room." There was a pause and Len could practically feel their stares through the door. _Dammit. I knew I should've cleaned that up...fuck my life._ Len cast a look at the wound and bit down on the leather as he put the tweezers in, struggling to take hold of the bullet. He was thankful for the leather, or else he'd probably give his dentist a heart attack next time he saw him.

"Oi. Len." Rin called. "Everything okay?" She asked. Len winced as he grabbed hold of the bullet. He pulled it out and dropped it in the bowl, where it landed with a soft _ding_ -type of sound.

"Mmhm." He replied, voice strained. He grabbed the bottle of Vodka and opened it with his teeth.

"Why's there blood outside your door? Were you jerking off too hard?" Miku's teased. Len scoffed and with shaky hands set the bottle down. It tipped over and spilled onto the bedsheets. He cursed quietly and set it upright and took a swig. "Len?"

"What?" He replied, pressing the shirt to the wound, which was now gushing blood. He applied as much force as he could. He figured that it'd probably be best to at least try and stop the bleeding before he disinfected it. Or was it the other way around? Was he even doing this correctly? _Ugh. Whatever. As long as I survive._

 _"_ Can we come in?"

"No." The reply was short and sharp. He took a deep breath and, thinking _why the hell not,_ took another drink of the Vodka before biting down on the belt once again and pouring it on the wound. And boy, did that hurt like a bitch. Len twitched and ground his teeth on the leather, probably ruining the belt and ending up with small flakes of leather in his mouth. Even so, he accidentally let out a pained groan. It was quiet, but loud enough for Miku to hear.

"Okay. Obviously this is going too far. We're coming in." Miku said, her voice serious and stern. She attempted to open the door, but it was locked. Thank God. "Let us in."

"This is an invasion of privacy. I'll see you lot in court." He set the bottle down on the bed, hissing slightly, the sting of the alcohol lingering. The world began to spin, and all the noise outside wasn't helping. Their voices were slightly warbled. Len reached for the roll of gauze and tightly wrapped it around the wound.

"I can pick a lock," Rin threatened. "Mom taught me. This is your last chance- let us in or else we're coming in by force." Red quickly stained the gauze, bleeding through quickly. _Damn... I've got no time for this shit if what Rin's saying is true! Fuck my life...fuck..._

"3."

"I'm not dressed!" Len yelled in hopes to keep his sister out. Despite Miku's gasp, Rin continued.

"2." It kept bleeding through the gauze. Jesus, did he really have that much blood?! He had no time left. He tied his shirt around the wound as tightly as he could.

"1." He threw a black jacket that was laying on the floor on and hid the Vodka in a drawer nearby. He could hear Rin picking the lock. _She was actually serious?!_ He thought in a panic. He gathered the bowl and tweezers and threw a blanket over the items and himself just as the door swung open to reveal Rin, Kaito, and Miku.

They barged into his room as he just laid there awkwardly, hoping to God that the bleeding was slowed down, even if it was just a little bit. Miku's hair was still down. Kaito looked pretty much the same, only a bit tanner. Rin squinted at him, looking down at the floor. "Blood." She said. "What happened?" Len shrugged.

"Nosebleed. Not enough orange juice." He replied. "I suppose _maybe_ oranges are useful after all." Rin puffed her chest proudly.

"You fuckin' bet!" She smugly replied. "I don't believe it for a second. No way you could bleed that much. Also, what's that smell?" She sniffed the air and Miku looked at him, suspicion in her eyes. However, if she had any suspicions about what the smell was, she didn't voice it.

"And the vase. What about that?" Rin asked. Len shrugged.

"I'm clumsy." He replied simply. Kaito looked at him worriedly.

"It's hot," He said. "But you have a blanket on. Are you trying to hide something?" Len scoffed.

"No." He replied simply. "Now get-" Kaito threw the blanket off him and he hissed at the action, glaring daggers at the blue-haired male.

"What the ever-loving fuck are you doing?!" He practically yelled, pulling the jacket to cover his torso. Kaito, like a teenage girl, seemed to be distracted by Len's muscles instead.

"Bro!" He gasped. "Since when did you get abs?!" Len gave him a blank look. Luckily, Kaito was easy to distract. Len pulled the blanket back over his body and shot Kaito a small glare.

"Since when did you become gayer than you already are?" He shot back. "If this little inspection shit is over, I'd like to go back to sleep because I'm tired as fuck and you blockheads are giving me a headache." Miku, who was strangely silent throughout the whole situation, spoke up.

"Yeah. There's nothing here so we should leave him alone." She said. "I gotta talk with Len anyways. You two go back to whatever the hell you wanna do." Rin shot her a sly smile.

"Oh. I see," She said with a wink. "We'll give you two some alone time." Her grin stretched farther across her face as she pulled a blushing Kaito out of the room with a giggle, closing the door behind her. Miku glanced at Len and sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed, her arms crossed.

"Okay, you fucking idiot, before you bleed out and die, show me your wound. You probably put some plant on it thinking that it'd heal it or something, knowing the retard you are." Miku sighed. Len glared at her.

"That was fucking rude of you, Hatsune." He replied. "You're-"

"I'm not delusional, you piece of god damned emotionally constipated shit." She cut off. "Listen her, you son of a bitch. I saw the blood outside your door and even though your jacket is dark and you hid it pretty well, I saw some blood on it. Now, for the sake of time, I suggest you show me the wound before I knock you out and see for myself." Len raised his eyebrows. Miku seemed especially assertive and scarier than usual. And Len...well, he wouldn't say he liked it, but it was slightly refreshing to see how forceful Miku could be. At least she'd be able to scare some asshole away if they were to bother her. Well, that is, if Len wasn't there first.

His lips twitched upward for a split second before he sighed and took his jacket off and undid the gauze and the shirt he tied around it. "Kinky today, I see." He teased. Miku glared at him, her cheeks ablaze. It was slightly unusual for her cheeks to be that... _red_ when all Len did was let another stupid remark escape his lips.

The wound was no longer gushing blood like it was at first. Miku properly tended to the wound, surprisingly silent. Len was slightly unnerved to say the least. "There," She murmured, "take it easy for a couple days. No fighting any more scary battles and no more beating any bad guys up. Rest. You hear?" Len shrugged his jacket back on- he didn't feel like getting up.

"Got it, boss." He replied. Miku stared at him.

"I'm pretty damn serious, Kagamine." She said flatly. "Take it easy or else I'll make sure you can't move for a very long time..." Len blinked.

"Yeah...I know. Doctor's orders." Len gave Miku a strange look- she was still staring at him. It was getting to the point where he was beginning to worry about his appearance. Was his hair all messed up? Was his eyepatch still in place? Did he have something on his face?

"What's with you?" He asked before grinning at her toothily. "Like what you see?" Miku didn't protest or anything- something was definitely up. "...Hatsune?" Miku's hands curled into fists as her stare turned into a glare. Len wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or not. She was showing some emotion now, but why was she gonna yell at him now...?

"You..." Miku muttered angrily. "You make me so...so..."

"Horny?"

Miku lunged forward and tackle hugged Len with enough force to send them both tumbling down. Len stared at the top of her head, wide-eyed and surprised at the sudden action. "Wha-"

"You make me so mad!" Miku exploded. "Who the fuck gave you permission to march into my life and make me care for you so much, huh?! Who said that you can make me worry so easily?! Who the fuck said you can do that, you rebellious shit?!"

"Miku-"

"Don't you 'Miku' me! Do you know how scared you make me? Every god damn time Rin asks me if she's seen you because you haven't come home, do you know how fucking scared I am? Do you know the terrible things I think? You may know a lot of things, Len, but you can never know...how afraid I am of losing you." Her voice cracked at the end. Len was quiet. Then he sighed and embraced her back, running his fingers through her silky hair.

"Honestly, you have no faith in me..." He sighed. He frowned as he heard Miku sniffle. "Such a crybaby...you know that I won't just suddenly leave you, right? I mean, I can't really let anyone else push your buttons they way I do. It just wouldn't be quite right. Besides, I still have to grace you with my ever-so blissful presence, don't I? I'm like lice- once you got me, it's hard to get me to leave." Miku chuckled.

"Did you really compare yourself to lice?" She asked.

"You bet." He replied with a sigh. He's called himself many things and compared himself to many things, but lice...that was a new one. Nonetheless, it made Miku feel better and the tension in the air lightened. _We should probably move,_ Len inwardly thought. _Rin and Kaito might get suspicious. Those idiots._ Len looked down at Miku. She hadn't moved an inch. Her chin rested on Len's shoulder, face buried in the crook of his neck. Her breathing was steady and calm. He wasn't sure if the teallete was sleeping or just enjoying the quiet, but he didn't want to take the chance of waking her up. She'd probably smack him so hard that he wouldn't be able to walk straight for a couple days.

 _Fuck my life..._ Len internally sighed as he braided a lock of her hair. Len didn't know what it was, but he always found himself wishing that she'd do something with her hair. It was so pretty and silky and soft and long. In the days where Rin kept her hair long, she would always ask him to help with her hair. Which meant that he knew how to braid and use bobby pins and hair spray and any other hair products for women. He gave another sigh.

 _It's probably been a stressful day for her. Maybe I can allow this..._

 _Just this once._  
 **Fuck my life count: 7**

 **so of course len came back to life! yay! I mean, you can't really continue a story with your main character dead. Well...I suppose I could've followed the other character's search for answers or write about Len's life as a ghost or something.**

 **I feel like, with Miku, Len's gonna be saying "just this once" a lot of times and we all know that's a lie. Started the chapter all stressful, and ended it sweetly. Yeeeeeey!**

 **I know the fact that Rin and Kaito didn't pick up on Len's wound was completely out of character for them, being the worrywarts they are. Just bear with me...?**

 **anyways, as always, please leave a comment on what you think of this chapter, theories, etc. Next chapter, Len visits Tei...wHaT Do yOu tHInK WiLl haPPEn ? !**

 **Anyways, see you guys then!**

 **Ciao~**


	24. Chapter 24

_**Len**_  
Len was a true idiot at heart.

Even people with the smallest amount of common sense would know _not_ to go somewhere all because some crazy chick with a pet human told you to, especially if she knew who you were, and _especially_ if you were recovering from a bullet wound that your sister's best friend, who isn't even a real doctor, stabilized for you.

Miku even told him to take it easy for the next couple of days and to relax and make sure that his stress levels don't go through the roof. And what was he going to do?

He was going to do the exact opposite of what she ordered, of course.

Len Kagamine was never one to follow orders, regardless of who the person giving them was. In fact, he was used to doing what they tell him _not_ to do instead.

But even to him, this was stupid. He was sore and could barely move without wincing. The wound hurt like hell, and he was warned not to move around too much or else he may reopen it. Of course, that meant that fighting the way he usually did wasn't really a choice and that was kind of a problem. So instead, IA supplied him with several guns and a few extra knives.

He was getting second thoughts when a limo pulled up and two burly men in suits stepped out and opened the door for him to enter. "Mr. Kagamine." The bigger one greeted. The other was only a couple inches shorter, but that didn't make him any less intimidating. Len eyed them strangely- this idea was _seriously_ , _incredibly_ stupid.

"Please, get in." The shorter of the two said. His voice was rough and scratchy, and it irritated Len for some odd reason. Len examined the limo. It was no doubt expensive and usually used to serve people of the utmost importance. He wondered if Tei was trying to show off, telling him of the money she had and how she could easily get what she wanted. And as of right now, it seemed that she wanted _him_. _Fuck my life..._ he thought. That's not helping at all. "You wouldn't want to keep Ms. Sukone waiting, would you?" Len rolled his eye. He didn't really give two shits about Tei as of now. Though she didn't say she was with Blackport, she still seemed like an asshole of a person. Not to mention slightly creepy as well- the way she looked at Len was like that of a starving dog staring at a large piece of delicious meat.

The only reason he was going was because he wanted answers. Now, however, he wasn't sure if it was such a good idea. But since when has he done anything that was a good idea?

He climbed in and the person shut the door for him. _No turning back now._ He thought with a small exhale. _I guess I gotta be more...peaceful and negotiable. Miku will chew me out again if I get hurt._ The thought of the fiesty tealette made his the corners of his lips twitch upwards- sometimes it seemed like _she_ was more dangerous than his enemies. She'd try to quietly holler at him but end up shouting so loud that people in China could probably hear her, often lecturing him about how he was a stupid blockhead that's going to get himself killed one day.

It amused him to know that the usually polite and quiet girl yelled at _him_ like that, and that a goody-two-shoes like her stole several types of medicines from her strict, uptight aunt just so that she could prepare to treat _him_. He didn't exactly know why, but he felt a twinge of pride knowing that she did things for him that she probably didn't do for other people. But then again, he wasn't like other people.

The car began moving. The backseat and front seats were separated by some type of wall, so Len couldn't see his drivers. The windows were tinted, literally pitch-black so he could see nothing outside. Everything in the car was black as well, and the seats were unsurprisingly comfortable- after all, the car was an expensive one. It unnerved him to know that he had no clue where he was headed.

His finger tapped against the leather seats impatiently as the car noticeably sped up, making Len lean back in his seat a bit more. He was sure that they were speeding at this point, and wondered if they were just trying to plain get in a car crash and have him killed or something. Len was never really the type to worry about such things, knowing the power that he held and could easily unleash, but he wasn't used to...well, _this._

He didn't usually get into some strange person's car and wait. He was much used to immediate action, he was used to hostile people, he was used to people spitting hateful and angry threats at him. He wasn't used to waiting and people _not_ trying to capture him.

The rest of the ride was silent, and Len wasn't sure if he was going to die of boredom or anxiety. Finally, nearly an hour later, the car slowed. There was a strange sound, similar to that of a garage door opening, which was followed by a loud, ear-grating creaking sound. It continued moving, then came to a stop. He heard his driver and his accomplice get out, slamming their car doors shut before opening his.

Len stepped out of the car, and slammed the door behind him. He was in what looked like a garage that was larger than his whole house. Flashy muscle cars, some old and some of them newer, were parked nearby. The lights were bright, and there was a door in the front of the room.

"Follow us, Mr. Kagamine." The taller one said. The other one got behind Len, making him in the middle, like he was the center of an awkward sandwich. Tension was thick in the air as the trio approached the door. They didn't trust Len, and he sure as hell didn't trust him. They stopped and the man turned. Len raised his eyebrow in question.

"Please, take off the ring and any other weapons you have with you off and put them in the tray." Len growled lightly.

"I have no weapons." He ground out through grit teeth, a glare that could kill hundreds of people directed to the man. He flinched and shifted, the tray that he grabbed from the floor trembling slightly. Len could tell that the man was afraid, but saying that he was afraid of _him_ may be a little much. He gathered that Tei was a very powerful person, both in wealth and physical terms. The thought made him want to give up his weapons even less.

"P-Please." He stuttered. "You cannot go inside until you've given up your weapons...and that ring of yours..." Len crossed his arms. _Fuck my life...so much for being negoitable._

"Then you might as well take me back because I'm not gonna give up any source of protection I have when I'm facing some lunatic that may or may not want me dead or rotting in a cage in her god damned basement!" The shorter one seemed calmer than the other. He cleared his throat, crossing his arms and giving Len a dark look.

"We cannot allow you to see Ms. Sukone unless you get rid of all your weapons, Mr. Kagamine."

"Do you need a hearing aid? I _told_ you-"

"If you refuse to give up your weapons, we will have to use force. None of us want that, Mr. Kagamine." Len snarled, glaring at the stone-faced man. It looked like leaving wasn't an option. He fucking knew something like this was going to happen. It was just his luck anyways. _Fuck my life. Fuck you. Fuck your fucking suit. Fuck your limo. Fuck everything._

"Oh, you just fucking _try_ it, buddy." He stared at Len for a moment before, suddenly and swiftly, lunging forward, aiming to grab Len's wrist. Len moved out of the way and grabbed the man's arm and twisted it behind his back then slammed him against the war harshly. Not hard enough to cause serious injuries, but enough to seriously hurt.

However, the action didn't go without consequence. Len winced, a searing pain flaring up from his shoulder. His grip on the man's wrist tightened unconsciously as he waited for the pain to leave- he barely even did anything, and yet the wound was acting up. It was much worse than he thought it'd be. The man Len held against the wall chuckled dryly.

"You're injured, are you not?" He mused. "Give up your weapons now. Taking them away will be quite easy, considering that you can't move your shoulder too much. Now, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. Which do you prefer Mr. Kagamine?"

Len growled, anger bubbling up inside him as he realized that he really had no choice but to give them up, as he let go of the man.

"Fuck my life..."

* * *

"You made it!"

Tei's eyes sparkled as she smiled at Len eagerly, as if she were a schoolgirl going on her first date. Len resisted the urge to roll his eye. She was sitting on, surprise surprise, a throne exactly like the one in his dream. The room was spacious, the ceiling similar to that of a dome. The polished stone floor shone. A gold chandelier holding candles with strings of different gems hanging off of it hung above them. The room was nearly barren except for a the throne Tei sat on. "Yep. Guess I did." She smiled sweetly at him.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Were they rude to you?" Len felt the guy from earlier tense up next to him. Len shrugged, casually casting a look to the anxious man besides him from the corner of his eye calmly. The man gulped and looked down at the floor, his hands clasped tightly in front of him.

"Eh." Len settled on lazily. Tei cocked her head to the left, eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a moment. She squinted at the men besides Len, a glare hidden in her gaze. She waved her hand, seeming to dismiss it, much to the man's obvious relief.

"We'll discuss it later," She said. She crossed her legs. She wore a wine red long-sleeved shirt and black skinny jeans, black and red combat boots being worn on her feet. Len wasn't going to lie, she was pretty. But he's seen prettier. "I trust you are well?" Len shifted, his fingers unconsciously twitching, itching to grab the dagger (which he had unfortunately given up) that was usually hidden on an inside pocket of his coat. He felt so vulnerable, and therefore, he felt antsy as well. He couldn't do much to protect himself if it had to come to that. He felt like he was basically handing himself over to Tei on a silver platter.

"I didn't come all the way here to discuss my wellbeing," Len said. "It's, like, 1 a.m. I'm tired. Let's get business going, shall we? What the hell do you want from me?" Len realized his rudeness when the words had already left his mouth. _Fuck my life_. He reminded himself to try to avoid conflict as much as he could. Because, again, he was practically giving himself to some psycho he didn't know. There was a 99.% chance that whoever asks to speak with him for "business" was a psycho or serial killer or something.

Tei deflated a bit, but perked up immediately. "A-ah, right..." She said, trailing off slightly.

She was quiet for a moment before slapping her flushed cheeks, eyes squeezed shut. "Ah, I'm so tired!" She wailed. "Why didn't I have any coffee?!" Len stared at the girl blankly.

She was the one that set up this whole thing, meeting time included. So why the hell was she complaining about being tired? Len sighed softly. _Women_. The most complicated puzzle on Earth. Len should know- he had to deal with an especially complicated, _annoying_ one back home. Len rolled his eye.

"Didn't you ask for me to get in some pedo-limo thing at, like, midnight?" He said. "Why are _you_ the tired one here?!" She pouted.

"I thought it'd be a good idea..." She sheepishly explained with a small giggle as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Now, for...ah, business."

"You see, Blackport has wronged me in many ways. Given the chance, they'd very happily take my head." She looked at her manicured nails, painted with a red that looked so similar to blood, Len wouldn't be surprised if she actually painted her nails with the liquid. He wasn't so sure about this girl. She gave off a vague, unsettling vibe that psychopaths normally did. Or maybe Len was just paranoid.

"Jeez. What'd you do to make them so pissed? Blow their god damn building up?" Tei chuckled nervously, looking down at her hands. Len raised his eyebrows.

"That's...a story for another time." She dismissed. "Anyways, back to the point."

"I want them out of my way so I can act freely and do what I actually want without the paranoia chasing me around and eating me away. It honestly sucks. So I was thinking that maybe you and I-"

"-could partner up and take them down?" Len finished. Tei nodded hesitantly, biting her lower lip. Len sighed. True, he wanted to take Blackport down to hell where it truly belonged, but could he really trust Tei? He barely knew the weirdo. She, however knew all about him. His relationship with Blackport was clear to all that knew about him and the dreaded group. It would make sense to want to have the infamous Devil's Dog on their side.

"How do I know if I can trust you?" He asked, crossing his arms. Tei froze, her eyes harder than steel and colder than ice. She clenched her fist and looked down.

"They...killed my family... _all of them_..." She said through clenched teeth. The emotion in Tei's voice were raw and very real, making Len hesitate in questioning if she was with Blackport. There was no doubt that they've ruined many lives and killed many people, so it's very possible that a loved one was taken from her. She snarled, looking up, eyes shining with such a ferocity and fury and hate that it was almost animalistic, making even Len want to take a step back. _Chill_ , he inwardly thought. Did he trigger something that would make her go into a blinding, murderous rage? It sure looked like it. _Fuck my life._

"I'll kill them, all of them, slowly, oh so slowly. I want to hear their screams even if I have to rip it from their throats, I want to hear them scream until they can no longer scream. I want to see them shed so many tears that they become dehydrated, I want to see them beg for mercy that will never come, I want to see the hopeless look in their eyes, god, and I will fucking see it if it's the last fucking thing I do!" She roared into the empty, quiet room. Her yell echoed off of the walls briefly for a moment as everything stilled in the room, the two men by Len's side flinching at every word Tei spat while Len was busy looking around for a route of escape.

Tei cleared her throat awkwardly before sitting back down onto her chair. She had risen during her rant, looking about ready to pounce on someone and beat them mercilessly. "S-So?" She asked timidly, her mood changing faster than it took Len to kill a man. Which was, if you hadn't caught on, very fast. Len shifted, looking into her dark red eyes with his bright blue ones. Fire and water.

The two co-existed in the world but, in a sense, were enemies. In this case, Tei was like fire- raging, destroying many things easily and gluttonously eating lives, easily angered and unforgiving and cruel. That made Len like water- strong at times and gentle during other times, sometimes forgiving like a gentle and calm lake but sometimes like a raging, unforgiving storm, waves crashing and bringing many down and drowning out lives in the process.

"I'm going to go with _no_ ," Len said. Tei's face fell, the happy mask she had on crumbling away quickly as she stared at him.

"W-Why?" She whispered. She rushed forward suddenly, and Len tensed up, about to jump away when she stopped in front of him. She bowed, her white hair falling and covering her face as she took his hands into her smaller, paler ones. "P-Please!" She pleaded.

Len coldly tore his hands from hers. "It just won't work between us." He answered, his voice void of any emotion. "I trigger people easily and you're easily triggered. I'm very annoying and problematic and you have anger issues. You don't have a family to protect, which allows you to be as reckless as you want because the enemy has no leverage over you. I do have a family- an annoying, nosy one at that- that I'll literally go to hell and back for. I can't put them in danger anymore. So therefore, I'm declining your proposal" Tei was quiet. She hadn't moved from her bowing position, so she just presumably stared at the hard, polished floor underneath her, the silky white hair she possessed covering her face like a curtain, making her face hidden from view.

"You'll do fine on your own because of that, however." Len offered, not wanting to piss her off any more than he already has. He probably triggered her again. When was the first time he triggered her, you asked? He had no idea, but he felt like he did somewhere along the way. He had a bad habit of triggering people. "You seem strong enough."

Tei moved slowly, looking up at him with ruby red eyes that seemed a bit dull compared to when he first saw her. "Family to protect...?" She mumbled. "You're quite kind, Mr. Kagamine...truly. I envy you. I wonder if...you're seeing anyone?" Len raised his eyebrows the 50th time that day. He didn't particularly like the tone of her voice- it made him a bit skittish, on edge. _Fuck my life,_ he internally groaned. _She better not be fucking hitting on me...I've got enough problems already, I don't need a lovesick ninja chick stalking me any time soon._

"Nobody's stupid enough to willingly go out with me," He mumbled under his breath. "No. Course not. Why?" He said louder. Tei blinked, tilting her head at him, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"Then...who's this?"

Tei nodded to the guy next to Len, who nodded back and pressed something on his phone or whatever. Len didn't quite notice this, however. He froze, his heart stopping for a minute. Who was Tei talking about?

The giant doors were opened and in came two men practically dragging a person in the middle, who stumbled after them. Len looked at them and felt as if he couldn't breathe.

Their clothes were dirtied and the shoulder area of their long-sleeved cream shirt was ripped viciously, as if by an animal, the pale skin under the shirt scratched. They wore knee-high black socks that were caked with dirt and grime, a scratch mark ripping through the left one, drawing blood on their pale leg. They wore a black combat boot on their right foot, but the left shoe was mysteriously gone. They were paler than ever, their usually beautiful, stunning eyes darting back and forth, terrified. There was a bruise blooming on their cheekbone and blood- _fresh_ blood- trickled from the corner of their mouth. Their hair was tangled and messy and windblown.

Their eyes landed on him and they widened with shock. "L-Len?" She whimpered, gently rushing forward in an attempt to move towards him. However, she was harshly pulled back and she let out another sound, this one sounding closer to a broken sob. Len snarled viciously as rage replaced the shock he had previously felt and he broke free from the people holding him.

"Don't you fucking touch her!" He was stopped when someone harshly tugged on his arm. He ignored the pain and spun around, punching the guard in the nose so hard that he heard a crack. He stomped on their foot, hard enough that he was rewarded with another satisfying crack that made the guard yell in pain.

If Len' shoulder can physically scream, it could break glass. The intense pain in his shoulder became white-hot, almost numb, but he payed no attention it it- rage and fear had taken over. He tore his wrist away from the man's grubby hand and threw another, much harder punch directed to his liver. He let out another roar of pain and the other guard ran over to him.

Len, in a furious rage, turned and punched the other guard in the throat- a move that could seriously injure, if not kill, a person. The guard let out a wheeze as Len brought up his leg and kicked him in the rib so hard that he was sure it was at least bruised or cracked. With the guards on the floor, Len was about to swiftly make his way to where the men held his beloved friend.

They grabbed her by the neck. "So?" Tei said nonchalantly, looking down at her manicured nails and picking at them. And Len felt an intense rage that he never felt in his life at the sight. How dare she hold such a precious person to Len hostage? Even if Len had agreed, she'd still have her. And she was hurt, too.

He snarled and turned, grabbing Tei by the throat and slamming her harshly into the wall. His grip tightened on her throat. "What the fuck did you do to her?!" He roared, his eyes gaining the vicious, animalistic, angered look that Tei had once before. He leaned closer to her and she shivered.

"I swear to god, I will fucking kill you in the slowest, most painful way possible if you even hurt a hair on her head. I'll fucking skin you alive, I'll douse you in gasoline and watch as you fucking burn, as your screams echo around the room, I'll fucking-"

He froze when he heard the click of a gun and a whimper.

He turned around slowly

They were holding a gun to her head.

Finger poised on trigger.

Len's heart stopped and everything went cold, his face turning as white as a sheet of paper. And for the first time in a long time, there was genuine, real fear in his eyes. He couldn't lose her. He nearly lost her once, he couldn't do it again. "Let go of Ms. Sukone, or her brain'll be splattered all over the place." Len obeyed without a second thought. The hostage stared at him with wide eyes, tears streaming down her pale face.

Tei put her hand on his shoulder. "So?" She mumbled into the petrified teen's ear, "you're sure she isn't your _girlfriend_?" She spat the last word as if it were a filthy, disgusting word that didn't deserve to be spoken. But most of all, it was dripping with spite and envy.

"N-No..." He stuttered. "Let her go...pl-please...don't hurt her..." Len's tough and seemingly uncaring facade crumbled away quickly to reveal his painstakingly fearful, broken true self. Tei's eyes drifted to her, then back to him, angered by how much he changed his attitude for _her_. She didn't fucking deserve it- she didn't love him the way Tei did. _Tei_ should be in her place.

Len stared at the girl, eyes wide and panicked and heart broken as she stared back with her teary teal orbs.

The silky teal hair Len loved so much was messy, as if she ran a marathon then tumbled down a hill.

The cut on her cheek and blood coming from her mouth both angered and pained Len.

The girl that stole medicine from her strict aunt wasn't supposed to be here.

 _His_ annoying, complicated puzzle shouldn't be here- she should be at _home_ where she belonged.

The fiesty girl that tried to yell at him quietly but failed shouldn't be whimpering in fear, tears in her beautiful eyes.

Len stared at her, wishing to God that this was a dream, even if it meant that he was knocked out in a dirty cell, imprisoned and awaiting some type of brutal torture.

 _Miku._

 **FML count: 6**

 _ *****_ **crashes through window***

 **Im bACk**

 _ **and tHIS IS THE END OF BOOK 1: HARDENED!**_ **YAAAAYYYYYY *confetti everywhere*  
cliffhangers yo**

 _ **so the 2nd book should be out by New Year's for sureeee, I'll be sure to update this book and give you all the link/name of the sequel, so stay tuned!**_

 **But anyways Len is ready to kill a bitch bc they got his girl, ohohoho, wait till how Miku reacts to finding out that her bf is involved in this shitttt**

 **so yeh woW I FINALLY ENDED IT  
ahh but now i gotta find a name/description for the sequel and make a cover n other shiz so that might take a bit**

 **also if youre wondering why rei isnt present in this chapter its bc tei "disabled" him (honhonhon)**

 **so anyways, i hope youve all enjoyed this book aND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE COMMENTS AND VIEWS AND ILY ALL SO MUCH AGH**

 **ciao~**


	25. Teaser

_**heyoo guys**_

 _ **sO i've finished the making of the next book (it's called Determined. Yes, I'm a lazy hoe. Ik.) and all that's really left is the whole writing bit. Originally, this part was supposed to be the fist chapter, but I've decided to make it a teaser instead to assure you all that I'm not dead yet.**_

 _ **Enjoy~**_

* * *

 _Th-thump, th-thump, th-thump._

Len's heart hammered in his chest. It wasn't supposed to go like this, not at all. She wasn't supposed to show up, and yet here she was, bruised and hurt.

Miku always had the annoying habit of making Len incredibly worried. She also had the annoying habit of making Len feel weak in important moments, such as the one he was currently in.

Tei's eyes narrowed and she clenched her jaw before giving the man holding Miku a sharp nod, though it looked forced and reluctant. "Let the bitch go."

He complied and drew the gun away from her head, putting it back in its' holster. Miku let out a squeak of terror and a shaky, broken breath that made Len want to, for once, envelop her in a hug.

A completely, friendly _platonic_ hug, mind you.

"Why is she here?" Len asked Tei. He tried to keep his voice calm and steady, but the nearly unnoticeable tremor of fear in his voice giving his cool facade away. Len Kagamine wasn't usually one to break so easily. He wasn't one to show fear. Yet, he was willing to get onto his knees and kiss the floor Tei walked on if it meant that Miku and the rest of his family would be safe.

Tei shrugged. "Oh...I don't know..." Her voice was faint and dreamy, as if she were in her own world. "I just think that someone from your family can change your mind...don't you agree?" Len bit back the string of curse words, insults, and sarcastic remarks in fear that he'd be the cause of something happening to Miku.

"Yeah..." He forced out. "But...even if I did agree, why did you have her? What the hell is the logic in that?" Len's eyes flicked to the two men by Miku's side. Both had their hands near their holsters. There were about 4-6 guards in the back of the room that probably came in once they realized that Len definitely was _not_ a happy camper.

Tei was, no doubt, someone powerful and feared. Len knew that it wasn't because of no reason, but he had an idea of why she was so feared in the household. A few minutes ago, she looked like she was about to maul someone.

So not only were there about 8 heavily armed guards that held Miku hostage, but there was also a presumably crazy ninja bitch. To Len, that would've been something that he could take with little problems. But he wasn't in the best health, and was completely unarmed. Not to mention that even _if_ he somehow had a weapon and was perfectly fine, he couldn't take the chance of exposing Miku to further danger, no matter how small of a fraction it was.

He was in a pretty deep grave.

"I know you well, Len. You won't side with me unless we have someone that you... _love_." Tei scowled as she glanced at Miku. Miku didn't even spare her a glance. She was staring at Len with eyes similar to that of a cornered deer.

"Wh-What does she mea-"

"Shut up," Tei snapped. Miku flinched at her tone. Len glared at Tei with a look full of malice and pure hatred at the two words directed toward the tealette. It was mostly an instinct for the Kagamine. Regardless as to whether or not Miku noticed, if someone did so much as use a tone Len didn't approve of, they'd earn themselves a death glare.

"Oh, dear. Didn't like that?" Tei sweetly asked, blinking innocently at him. He clenched his jaw but didn't reply.

"I wonder...how you will react when you find who else is here?"

Len froze. Someone else was here? The blood drained from his face as several names popped into his head.

 _IA. Rin. Kaito._

"The fuck do you mean someone else?! Who is it?!" Len growled. Tei shrugged, then chuckled.

"You're about to find out soon, dear."

 _Wh-_

In the moment of panic, someone had crept up behind Len. He only noticed this when he felt something sharp being stabbed into the side of his neck, followed by a nauseous and sleepy kind of feel.

"What the hell did you do-"

"Sh...I would never hurt you..." Tei mumbled as Len fell to his knees. He was beginning to lose control of his legs- it felt like they were asleep and refused to work anymore.

"Len!" He looked up upon hearing his name being called. He could see a teary-eyed Miku struggling against the guards violently, though she couldn't break free from their firm hold.

"Miku..." He muttered. He glared up at a sweet-looking Tei.

"Hurt her...and I'll kill you..." His words were full of sincerity and the promise made even Tei a bit on edge. He wasn't kidding. But she could never hurt Len. After all, they were destined to be, weren't they?

Tei smiled at him. "Of course, dear." She cooed. "Now...sleep."

With that final command, the Kagamine succumbed to the darkness.


	26. Determined

Ayo ayo ayo guys

So the sequel to Hardened has been published, it's called Determined

Hopefully you guys enjoy it? I'm mostly surprised that I finished it on time lololol.

I hope to see you guys there!

Thanks for all the support and reviews, I really appreciate it ^/^ 3


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